Targeting Michele Bachmann

There has been a bit of a maelstrom surrounding the Bachmann campaign the last couple of days.  First came the National Enquirer-like headline in the Daily Caller "Stress-related Condition 'incapacitates' Bachmann; heavy pill use alleged" where you find out that Michele Bachmann gets migraines.  You would think that she was some crazy sweaty drug addict, popping pills like they were candy.  Uh, no, she just get migraines and takes medication for it.  Does that really make her unfit to be President?  Would this question even be asked if she were Mitt Romney?  Would anyone care?  This is pretty much the equivalent of saying that because she is a woman, she could be overcome by the "vapors" and therefore can't be President.  Clearly this story was planted by one of her competitors in the GOP race, my guess it was Ron Paul.  Tucker Carlson, who runs the Daily Caller, is a fan of his, participating in Ron Paul rallies in the past, though it really could be anyone in the race.  Anyway, the gambit clearly didn't work as even the lefty Salon defended her and said the story was crap.  It also helped that she put out the perfect statement regarding this problem which seems to make it abundantly clear that this is a non-issue for her performance (none of that whiny victimhood that you often get from other candidates/politicians):

"Like nearly 30 million other Americans, I experience migraines that are easily controlled with medication. I am a wife, a mother, a lawyer who worked her way through law school, a former state senator who achieved the repeal of a harmful piece of education policy in Minnesota, and a congresswoman who has worked tirelessly fighting against the expansion of government and wasteful spending.

"Since entering the campaign, I have maintained a full schedule between my duties as a congresswoman and as a presidential candidate traveling across the nation to meet with voters in the key, early primary and caucus states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. I have prescription medication that I take whenever symptoms arise and they keep the migraines under control. Let me be abundantly clear – my ability to function effectively has never been impeded by migraines and will not affect my ability to serve as Commander in Chief.

"The many questions I have received on this subject have allowed me to discuss this important condition that impacts individuals in nearly one in four households. However, as a presidential candidate and office holder, I am focused on performing my job, which has never been more important given the state of our economy and the millions of Americans that are out of work. While I appreciate the concern for me and my health, the greater concern should be the debate that is occurring in Washington over whether or not we will increase our debt, spending and taxes."

Then came the "Brian Ross" incident, where, according to Michael Crowley at Time, two "Bachmann men" pounced on Brian Ross after he tried to ask a question about her migraines.  Of course the leftie journalists and blogs  started to pounce on this one as it clearly shows, in their eyes, she doesn't have the fortitude to be President (maybe there will be an article coming up that she gets moody during 5 day stretches and pops a lot of midol).  But once again, those targeting Bachmann are making a mountain out of a molehill.  Brian Ross himself has said that the charges that he was "roughed up" are "far overblown" and that he was simply pushed aside when he tried to go up to Bachmann after repeatedly asking her if she missed any votes in Congress due to migraines (I wonder if he asked Obama how many votes he skipped in the Senate).  You can even see him supposedly after being "roughed up" at the 1:58 mark of this video, where he doesn't look roughed up at all. And personally I wouldn't blame her for not wanting to take his questions as he has already attacked her husband and her husband's homosexual counseling services in a hatchet job of a story (I do agree with Ross that homosexuality cannot be counseled away but if I were a reporter, it would make sense to at least try to show both sides).  He clearly is not exactly an objective reporter (just ask Toyota) and really does seem to have some sort of vendetta against Bachmann and her family.

Anyway, it seems that both the left and members of the right have tried to take Bachmann down with the migraine story and its aftermath but I think they have failed miserably.  In fact, I think they have made her appear even stronger than before.  She really is a force to be reckoned with.  She doesn't have my vote yet, but she is getting there.