Here's Herman Cain's campaign manager Mark Block, who may actually be more entertaining than Cain himself, telling Sean Hannity (in that grave, stilted, get-away-from-the-shed-where-I-keep-the-bodies way of his) that he's "connected the dots" regarding the multiple sexual harassment complaints against his boss. "[Accuser Karen Kraushaar's] son works at POLITICO," he says to Hannity, who asks if Block has "confirmed that." (Uh, Sean? This is the Cain campaign? Do you really think that a Cain worker would get on TV and just make shit up?) "We've confirmed that he does indeed work at POLITICO and that's his mother, yes," Block says, apparently in reference to National Journal writer Josh Kraushaar. Who isn't Karen Kraushaar's son. And who, Politico insists, doesn't work for Politico. But they would say that, wouldn't they? [Politico]

Who leaked the Herman Cain sexual harassment allegations? isn't just Encyclopedia Brown's worst book—it's also a question that incredibly annoying people are asking, right now! Cain's living-comedy-skit campaign manager Mark Block was just on Fox News accusing the Perry campaign, in his characteristic "intense neighbor reads demands to police while keeping family hostage" way. (See above video.) Yet the Perry campaign denies Block's accusations, and suggests that the Romney campaign is the true culprit. A shocking twist! Cut to commercial! But, okay, who's the real culprit? Why not Herman Cain himself? After all, the allegations launched the guy into his biggest 24-hour fundraising stretch. So, him or Bugs Meany. [Fox News, CBS]

Just because Herman Cain '12 made an ad featuring chief of staff Mark Block as some kind of kooky, hatless Marlboro Man does not mean that you should start smoking, or that smoking will make you look like a suave campaign operative, or any such thing. No, the takeway of that commercial was this: "let people be people," and also (and more importantly?) "Mark Block smokes."

What a great comedy ad that Herman Cain's campaign released yesterday, right? It's heartwarming to see one of these old, grizzled campaign hands, in this case chief of staff Mark Block, finally getting in front of the camera in his own element: Smoking a cigarette outside some building. Then there's terrible music, Herman Cain gradually smiling over the course of 10 seconds, the works. It's strange and exciting, effectiveness aside! And yet the image of this man smoking left many political writers somewhere between confused and horrified. What does the cigarette "mean"? It's today's hot topic.

Here's a brand new Herman Cain campaign ad, starring chief of staff Mark Block, that was just posted, unlisted, to his official YouTube channel. As far as we can tell, Block is drunk, and outside an Olive Garden? And the cameraman is some guy with an iPhone, also drunk, whom Block met at the bar? But, really, the horrible panning and cheap tilt-shift filter are nothing compared to what happens at the 40-second mark. Just trust us on this one, okay? We told you the guy was stupid! [via @pourmecoffee]