Michele Bachmann has sure been getting a fair share of attention lately. Already a darling of many conservatives, Minnesota's 6th District U.S. Representative made headlines Friday during a visit to Iowa that re-ignited discussion about a potential presidential bid.
Bachmann may be loved by many within her party -- particularly fellow Republicans who identify strongly with the Tea Party movement -- but her emergence as a serious candidate would be better news for Democrats than the GOP.
Already a lightning rod for criticism, the scrutiny of Bachmann would be further magnified if she opts to run for the White House. You can bet reports made by such journalism entities as PolitiFact, a Pulitzer Prize-winning feature of the St. Petersburg Times -- and a focus of a Friday National Public Radio story on Bachmann -- would become more prevalent.
"We have checked her 13 times, and seven of her claims to be false and six have been found to be ridiculously false," PolitiFact editor Bill Adair said on NPR. He added, "She is unusual in ... that she has never gotten a rating higher than false."
As someone with a history of blatantly inaccurate and misleading statements, Bachmann should held to the highest possible standard for truth as a presidential candidate. Then again, so should any of her opponents for the Oval Office.To single out Bachmann as the only politician with a propensity for playing fast and loose with facts would be unfair.
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We hope voters have those same standards in the 2012 election. -- Worthington Daily Globe
