In a bombshell story, Politico has reported that when Herman Cain was head of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s, two female employees left their jobs and reached a settlement after “sexually suggestive behavior by Cain that made them angry and uncomfortable.” In the coming days and weeks, we’ll learn a lot more about the details. Until we do, it’s important not to jump to conclusions. Some will be quick to proclaim this the end of his campaign, while sympathetic voices will be quick to dismiss it as a smear job.

In the very early stages, though, team Cain’s response is not very encouraging. Here was the Politico reporting on an exchange it had with Cain outside the taping of CBS’s “Face the Nation” Sunday morning: