( CNN ) -- If Herman Cain committed sexual harassment and is now lying about it , his goose is cooked and it should be . But if he is telling the truth , there is something terribly disconcerting about the way the Washington `` scandal industrial complex '' -- full of reporters , former campaign workers and pundits -- has reacted to this sad story . After the story broke in Politico , Cain the next day denied that he sexually harassed anyone , which after all , is the core issue . Since then , other anonymous sources claim they too were harassed , without anyone really knowing what the alleged harassment entailed . He has been consistent , unwavering and on the record in his denial . But that 's not good enough for the way things work in Washington , where the manner in which he reacted to the news is said to be a sign of whether he would make a good president . He is being assailed because he remembered more information and therefore `` his story changed , '' an unforgivable development for those who cover scandal news . Journalists trotted out their well-worn formula for keeping a scandal story alive by saying that his `` answers led to more unanswered questions , '' even though he already answered the only question that matters -- did he harass anyone ? Experts who know scandals decry his failure to have `` gotten ahead of the story . '' He should have seen this coming , they say , and pre-empted it , the way all clever Washington politicians , skilled in the art of survival , would have done . My problem with this line of attack is it 's exactly what has made politicians , and often the reporters who cover them , so disconnected from the rest of the country . Cain 's reaction has been human . It 's been just the opposite of what a politician who prizes political survival above all would have done . Imagine that you were accused of doing something you did not do 12 years ago . You have a staff and your staff figured out a way to make it go away . Good , you might say . I did n't do it and it deserves to go away . You then put the issue out of your mind . Then 12 years later , the allegations re-emerge . It 's not unnatural that you start to remember more facts . Some details come back to you . Some do n't . That 's the way the human mind works . It 's not the way political minds work . In a year in which people of all parties are fed up with how Washington conducts its business , it 's ironic that Cain is now being assailed by Washington insiders for his failure to act like a Washington insider . I know all the tricks of the trade . If Cain spent 21 years in Washington like I did , he would have pre-empted the issue by giving a speech about what it takes to make it in business . As he cited his successes , he could have addressed how hard it can sometimes be to make it in America today . How innocent statements he once made to his staff led to threatened lawsuits . How despite his knowing he did nothing wrong , he was advised to `` settle '' the matter so it did n't become a bigger distraction . What 's $ 35,000 to a multimillion dollar industry ? Trial lawyers , excess regulations , union demands all make it so hard to create jobs and achieve growth . He could have gotten the news out himself , framed in a way that minimized the `` scandal '' and maximized his themes about the economy . How very Washington , and clever , that would have been . If Cain was the same type of skilled politician who has made Washington what it is has largely become -- an assemblage of smooth-talking , gifted experts in creating a massive debt that risks our future , while being seemingly incapable of doing anything about it other than blaming the other guy -- he might have acted differently . But he 's not an insider . He said what came naturally . He remembered more facts -- a very human development -- and said them . Scandal experts will tell you not to remember more information . Stick to your denial and say nothing else , they would advise . Cain did n't do that because he 's not like that . He genuinely is different . And because he 's different , he 's being pilloried for how he has handled the allegations . Before these anonymous allegations hit , I publicly said , and I repeat , I like the fact that Cain is an outsider , but I do n't think he 's ready for the Oval Office . I wanted someone who thinks like an outsider but who has also served as a governor ( think Indiana 's Mitch Daniels ) so he or she has the knowledge and experience to get programs through Congress . I 'm neutral in this primary . But as well-versed as I am in the ways of Washington , I 'm the first to admit that the ways of Washington are a big part of the problem . The public is yearning for someone who is genuine and who does n't act like a perfect politician . Unfortunately , the scandal industrial complex does its business the Washington way , judging Cain 's reaction according to formulas that were written by perfect politicians . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ari Fleischer .
Herman Cain has repeatedly denied sexually harassing women . Ari Fleischer : If he is lying , he 's in big trouble . Comment: Fleischer : Washington 's scandal industry has kicked into full gear .