Now I didn’t like it when Chris Wallace asked Michele Bachmann if she was flake last June because he unfairly singled her out.
But I am having second thoughts.
Bachmann certainly raised legitimate questions in Monday night’s GOP debate about the wisdom of Texas Governor Rick Perry mandating the HPV vaccine and of the possibility of cronyism. But when she publicly stated that the Gardasil vaccination causes mental retardation following the debate she drew the wrong kind of attention to herself. At the very least, it should give pause to those who will choose the GOP’s standard bearer next year.
After all, President Obama has not been equal to the task and is wearing out his welcome. But if voters are going to replace Obama next year we are going to want to replace him with a person who will mind the store, accept responsibility for his or her actions and speak to the issues affecting Americans in a reasonable and measured manner.
If Republicans choose to nominate Bachmann and she persists in asserting that vaccines cause mental retardation or makes other statements not grounded in fact, it will cast doubt on her ability to carry out the enormous responsibilities vested in our nation’s highest office. Voters might not be thrilled with President Obama’s job performance but a lot of those voters aren’t going to hand the keys to the White House to someone who comports herself in a manner which could be described as, well, flaky.
