Does Herman Cain just drink constantly on the campaign trail? We didn't hear much about this as he was becoming the frontrunner, but the faster he plummets, and the more his allies turn on him, the more delicious these stories should become! It's already starting.

The Washington Post's Dana Milbank, for one, shares the impression that a lot of disgruntled conservatives now have with Cain — that he never took this seriously, and was just out to have a good time:

His presidential bid was meant to be a lark, likely a gambit to increase speaking fees and book sales, perhaps to gain him a gig on cable news. At first, he was in on the joke, gaming the primary process and making up policies as he went along. He drank alcohol during public appearances, even in the morning. He allowed the release of a bizarre ad showing his chief of staff blowing smoke. He greeted female interviewers as "sweetheart" and occasionally gave them hugs.

A sentiment which conservative blogger Dan Riehl echoes: "Cain has been in and around DC for decades. He knows full well what you can and can't do if you seriously want to become POTUS. The man just didn't care. But his schtick made a lot of other people care. And that leaves me not caring for him at all, frankly."

But the sharpest jab comes from conservative filmmaker Ladd Ehlinger, who, admittedly, has his own professional issues with Cain's people — they led him on about making ads for months, even though they already had an exclusive contract for videos with another outlet. This got Ehlinger nice and pissed off, which is good for our purposes! Because now he's writing stuff like this:

All you are doing is playing your friends, your supporters, and some of my very good friends for your own fame and glory. And drinking parties. Yes - you drink like a fish, you flirt all over the place, and everyone who's attended CPAC knows it. Nothing wrong with partying. Unless you lie about it. And try to deceive the public about it. If you want to be the American-Tea-Party Berlusconi, then be up front about it, don't be a damned coward.

You should be ashamed of yourself.

Intriguing. Who out there has witnessed Herman Cain drinking like a fish and/or flirting all over the place, perhaps at CPAC, or some other conservative confab along the way? We'd love to hear your stories! Please share: newell@gawker.com.

[Image via AP]