In Defense of Michele Bachmann - Arrgh!

I really detest being in the position of having to defend someone I really detest. Really.

This week's Newsweek magazine features a front cover photo of Minnesota Congresswoman and Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann. The photo was a lighting test shot that the Bachmann people were told would not be used. It makes her look crazy. The headline is "Queen of Rage", a phrase that neither appears in the text of the article nor is supported by it.

Then, this weekend, an extremely unflattering photo of Rep. Bachmann began circulating on social networking sites. In this case she was attempting to bite into a large corn dog, not an unusual activity for a candidate at the Iowa Sate Fair.

In taking the particular approach of these photos, the Left is showing that liberals have not escaped the misogynistic tendencies we like to ascribe to the Right. Ask Hilary Clinton about the challenges of women as serious candidates for office.

Michele Bachmann's ideas might be described as crazy, as might her Tea Party followers. Those who vote for her might be nuts. I would say exactly the same about Gov. Perry, who might be a greater threat to the nation's future than Rep. Bachmann, precisely because it is more acceptable for a male candidate to be bonkers and yet be taken seriously.

Come on, folks. I'm neither prudish nor lacking of a sense of humor. But can't we take a more serious and substantive tack in critically considering the issues facing the nation and the world?