Herman Cain will bow out of the 2012 presidential campaign.

That is my opinion and one that I believe will, sooner rather than later, become a reality.

Right now, Cain is engaged in an “Assessment” of his campaign following more allegations of inappropriate behavior. This time, it’s not sexual harassment…This time, it’s an alleged affair that supposedly lasted some 13 years.

My opinion will, no doubt, inflame Cain’s most ardent followers but it’s time to face reality.

At worst, Cain had a 13 year affair with Ginger White and while that is yet to be proven, at least as far as THIS allegation, that would be the worst case scenario. If it proves to be true…IF it proves to be true, it would add an air of validity to other allegations and would be something from which Cain could not resurrect himself.

Cain’s most fervent train riders will be quick to point out Ginger White’s past and her lack of credibility and because they would be right to do so, allow me to do that for them.

Ginger White is a 46 year old “Businesswoman” from Atlanta. Ms. White is far from squeaky clean. ABC News did some digging and discovered that Ms. White has severe financial problems including civil judgments and liens against her in Georgia and in Kentucky going all the way back to 1994 and including 11 such liens filed since 2009…9 of them this year alone.

WAGA TV in Atlanta ran a background check on Ms. White and found that over the years, she has had several eviction notices filed against her in DeKalb County…That’s basically, Atlanta…including the latest of which was served just 2 weeks ago as she has apparently failed to pay her rent even once this year.

Then there is other various legal matters involving Ginger White including a sexual harassment suit she filed against an employer this year which has since been settled and…A former business partner, Kimberly Vay, won a default judgment in a libel case when Ms. White failed to respond to the lawsuit against her.

Taking all of this into account one must come to the conclusion that Ginger White has absolutely NO credibility and THAT is what the Cain Train riders are pinning their case upon.

Here is the problem in so doing.

Cain admits to knowing this woman but, he admits much more than that. According to Steve Grubbs, Cain’s Iowa campaign chief, Cain told Grubbs he had tried to help White “with her problems and tried to get her on her feet financially.”

Cain admits to knowing this woman, says he “THOUGHT” they were friends…AND…admits to having tried to assist her financially.

As conservatives, we can ill afford to nominate, much less, ELECT to the highest office, a man who shows a lack of personal and financial judgment in this regard.

If this is how he vets his “Friendships” what then can we expect in his vetting of administration Members or, for that matter, his place trust in him, as a president, with our money?

The WORST case scenario is that he actually had a 13 year affair with this woman.

The BEST case scenario would be that he maintained a “friendship” with and gave financial assistance to…A woman with a trail of legal and financial issues stretching across at least 2 states and covering at least 17 years.

Given either scenario, Herman Cain is going to bow out of the 2012 presidential campaign.

My guess is that he will point the finger at “emotional” tolls being taken on his family and specifically on his wife as the reason for bowing out. He may well also cite falling support from donors on the heels of what he has, and may continue to label as false and politically motivated allegations.

By admitting his “friendship” with Ginger White and his financial assistance to her, Cain has effectively drilled a hole in the bottom of a sinking boat from which to allow the gathering water to drain. Any attempt at this point from Cain train passengers to prop up his campaign with write-in votes is akin to bailing with a strainer.

The Cain train has derailed in such a manner as to remove even a shot at a VP nod and quite possibly any future political aspirations regardless of the credibility of past or future allegations and while I feel the harassment allegations will go nowhere, this latest allegation of an ongoing affair may have a longer shelf life.

Ginger White is a train wreck and while Cain may, or may not have been riding that train, he was at the very least, and by his own admission, paying freight on it and to some extent, had his train hitched to hers.