Cain Regrets Staying Silent While Gay Soldier Booed

Herman Cain, who is surging in polls, said that it would have been "appropriate" for him to speak in defense of the gay soldier booed by a debate audience while all the Republican presidential candidates remained silent.

Cain made the remarks to ABC's This Week on Sunday, according to the Associated Press. His reevaluation aired the morning after President Barack Obama made it clear that support for gay and lesbian servicemembers should be a a requirement for the commander-in-chief during his speech to the Human Rights Campaign's national dinner.

"In retrospect, because of the controversy it has created and because of the different interpretations that it could have had, yes, that probably -- that would have been appropriate," said Cain, the AP reported.

Cain suggested that perhaps the audience at the Republican debate September 22 was booing the "don't ask, don't tell" repeal, which took effect that week. and not Stephen Hill, the soldier who asked the question.

Candidates Jon Huntsman, Gary Johnson, and Rick Santorum have all made statements to denounce the booing, which appears to have caught traction as a Democratic talking point.

Watch Christiane Amanpour's interview with Cain. The questions about the booing start around the 40-second mark.