Washington ? Many Republican voters are drawn to Herman Cain’s forceful campaign style. But an examination of his comments and proposals raises questions about his grasp of issues he would face if elected president.

Cain has drawn unwanted attention for contradictory or unorthodox comments on abortion, China policy, immigration, torture and other matters. He has struggled to answer some questions about health policy and Libya, at times openly laboring to retrieve facts or talking points.

On a few occasions he has quickly corrected his statements. Other times he has laughed off his critics, telling people to have a sense of humor.

His against-the-grain style appeals to some conservatives, especially those weary of full-time politicians with well-rehearsed stands. What some find refreshing, however, strikes others as betraying a troubling inexperience, or even a lack of seriousness and judgment.

His string of puzzling remarks “has created an image of him as not being up to this task,” GOP political strategist Karl Rove recently told Fox News.

The latest incident involved Cain’s uncomfortably long struggle Monday to say whether he agreed with President Barack Obama’s handling of Libya and the ouster of Moammar Gadhafi. In a widely distributed video interview, Cain fidgeted, stared at the ceiling and talked of having “all this stuff twirling around in my head.”

Cain, who holds a master’s degree from Purdue University, is far more steeped in business than politics. He was a computer systems analyst for Coca-Cola, a Pillsbury Company vice president and regional vice president of Burger King. He was president and CEO of Godfather’s Pizza before becoming president of the National Restaurant Association in the late 1990s. He also was a radio talk show host and chairman of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City in 1995 and 1996.

It’s not unusual for presidential candidates to falter at times, especially when they are tired. Obama, a Harvard Law School standout, once referred to the nation’s “57 states.”

And many candidates, including multiterm governors, are thin on foreign policy experience.

Still, Cain’s recent misstatements or debatable assertions suggest he is “not surviving the glare of the spotlight right now,” Chris Chocola, head of the conservative Club for Growth, said Tuesday on MSNBC.

Cain spokesman J.D. Gordon acknowledged that Cain has been forced to explain some campaign remarks.

“You have thousands of hours of on-the-record interviews,” Gordon said. “There are going to be instances where you may have to make clarifications based on the extreme level of scrutiny in the media spotlight.”