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Herman Cain Jokes With Jay Leno

Updated: October 3, 2011 | 10:08 a.m.
September 30, 2011 | 10:03 p.m.

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain continued his media tour with a stop on Friday's edition of NBC's Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Leno joked with Cain about his pizza background that "nobody is going to starve to death" under a Cain White House. Cain responded," They won't starve to death because I'm going to make sure they get a job."

Cain stayed on his message of 9-9-9 economic plan and offered his opinion of his rivals and his place in the GOP race. He reaffirmed his belief he is a different kind of flavor of the week, as former Alaska Republican Gov. Sarah Palin called him. 

"She called me flavor of the week; if you look at what has happened, that might be true with some people," Cain told Leno. "But I happen to believe that there's ice milk and there's Häagen-Dazs black walnut.  Substance.  That's the difference.  I got some substance here.  Okay?  I'm Häagen-Dazs.  It lasts longer than a week. "

Cain also walked back his controversial comment about not willing to hire Muslims in his cabinet. He admits he "was thinking jihadist" and "did not qualify it at that point." He said, he "qualified it later," but cited Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's contention that a "jihadist wants to kill all of us" and he would "err on the side of caution rather than make sure we hire the wrong people."

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