Long the blemish on the political face of Minnesota, U.S. Representative Michelle Bachmann has been known for her absurd and outrageous antics that put Minnesota to shame. By examining a number of her comments, actions, and controversies, one can see that Michele Bachmann is clearly unfit for office and an embarrassment to Minnesotans.

Bachmann took this embarrassment to new levels recently. On October 17, 2008, Bachmann was a guest on MSNBC’s popular show Hardball with Chris Matthews, in order to show her support for Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign. As proved by her in this infamous interview, she is quick to prey on the fears of Americans in order to win support for her causes, in this case John McCain’s presidential campaign.
She spoke of Senator Barack Obama’s association with Reverend Jeremiah Wright and Bill Ayers, calling them “over the top anti-American,” and also saying that she was “very concerned that [Barack Obama] may have anti-American views.”

When asked by Chris Matthews, “How many people in the Congress of the United States do you suspect as being anti-American?” Bachmann replied, “What I would say is that the news media should do a penetrating expose and take a look…I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America?”

All U.S. senators and representatives swear to protect and uphold the U.S. constitution. Therefore, to suggest that Barack Obama and his colleagues have “anti-American views” is outrageous and absurd, and only shows Bachmann’s lunacy. The fact that she disagrees with Obama’s views on how America should be run gives her no right to call him unpatriotic and suggest the media investigate his lack of patriotism.

People from both ends of the political spectrum disagreed with these ridiculous comments. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell called her comments “nonsense” and “over-the-top” and said that they impacted his decision in endorsing Barack Obama for presidency. As would be expected, Democratic politicians fiercely objected to Bachmann’s comments: Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar  called these comments “an outrageous thing to say”  and also that “it really hurts us in terms of our national stature with the rest of the world.”

However, Bachmann’s enormous faux pas was not enough to cause her to lose the election this past November 4. Though her opponent, Elwin Tinklenberg, received a sharp boost in donations and support after her comments, Bachmann still prevailed by a two percent margin to win Minnesota’s 6th District.
And yet, these comments are not the only testament to Bachmann’s faults as a House Represenatative.

Bachmann’s two previous years in Congress have been consumed with controversy, bad decisions, and ridiculous comments. She has, among numerous other things, alleged that Iran was establishing a “terrorist safe haven” in Iraq, opposed a grant for higher education that raised the maximum Pell Grant for students, and repealed the nationwide phase out of traditional, polluting light bulbs.

By looking at these aforementioned shortcomings, and also her recent commentary on Barack Obama and his colleagues in the Senate, it is apparent that Michele Bachmann is unfit for her office as House Representative of Minnesota’s 6th district. These actions are just the beginning; there is no telling what horrible controversies and comments Michele Bachmann will stir up in the near future.