Tim Pawlenty is beating up on Michelle because he wants to be viable as Mitt Romney’s wing man.  Sort of like Batman and Robin. 

Regardless of his motivations, if Bachmann did push for a pardon for a convicted drug dealer and money launderer, it damn sure doesn’t look good, especially if one of his partners contributed money to her campaign. Matter of fact, it looks terrible. It’s going to be hard to spin that as “well that’s just Pawlenty trying to derail Bachmann’s campaign”, unless the charge against Bachmann just isn’t true. Now why do I doubt that?

What’s happening at Team Palin? Isn’t she even considered as a potential candidate now? hahaha!

Huckabee had a similar problem with pardon(s). I think the problem here is with the fundie types who let their religious gullibility come in the way of proper judgment.

The excuse that Bachmann “didn’t know he had gone bad again” doesn’t wash.  That would excuse a photo-op with the guy at a community center opening, but writing a pardon request is putting your own reputation on the line for the pardonee, saying he is either innocent or truly repentant and rehabilitated.  It’s a question of judgment, and when a candidate has never held a position of executive responsibility, those decisions she has made are individually more significant.

Pawlenty could only survive a third place finish at Ames if he wins the debate, which seems unlikely due to his style of speaking and reticence to confront his opponents directly.  But the money will dry up completely if he falls short here.  Given the type of candidate he is, he needs the money to keep flowing.

There will only be room for three candidates in the top tier coming out of Iowa in February (?).  Ironically, most of the also-rans (except Paul, who runs on energy collected by his bot army) will be eliminated by the money primary in the first cycle in a long time where challengers could last.  Super Tuesday appears down to nine states and far fewer delegates.  Anything less than a sweep won’t clinch the nomination, and even a sweep won’t do it with actual delegates, just perception.

to: Anamika – I don’t think it’s “fundies” but I do think it’s political competitors AND their supporters, paid or otherwise.

200 people writing comments on dozens/hundreds of sites every day can, over time, appear to the general public to represent some “wave” or majority of public opinion, when they’re merely a small batch of campaigners eager to ruin competitors.

Pawlenty, in my view, has lost a great deal of credibility with his bashing of Bachmann.

an uncommonly high turnover rate. On average, House chiefs of staff
serve for nearly seven years, a study for congressional administrators
showed.

The question isn’t whether or not Bachmann’s turnover rate is average or not – average being, of course, often worse than what is possible – but whether or not it was a good thing.  If her chiefs of staff were Washington cronies who were intent on doing business as usual, sucking at the federal teat, and otherwise not helping her, then she should kick them out until she gets staff who are into small government and liberty.

To the 1960′s camp versions.

Exactly.  While we have to suspect anything ‘former’ and ‘disgruntled’ staffers have to say, the fact is (1) the MSM will run with these storys as long as they can and (2) when there’s enough of these kind of tales out there, the circumstantial evidence must be investigated.

So you’re saying if she is an extraordinarily bad screener of her potential employees, that’s a GOOD thing?

She’s averaging more than a chief of staff (or “acting chief) per year in DC, what does that say about her ability to staff the cabinet and government?

Between the pardon request and the turnover of top staff, it seems to indicate that Bachmann is not a very good judge of character, does it not?

Bachmann is NOT qualified to be President. Besides being a loon, she has ZERO executive experience, a MUST HAVE for our next President.

Bachmann has never run a city, never run a state, and can’t even run her small staff.

Past that, she’s a serial liar, a fake, fraud, and a phony. She only leached herself to the Tea Party once she figured out it would further her career as a CAREER politician. Before that she was a huge porker who couldn’t care less about fiscal issues. It was also social issues and gay bashing for Bachmann and her husband, who’s gayer than Liberace’s houseboy.

Bachmann thinks “The Lion King” is gay propaganda and once claimed she was “kidnapped” by gay nuns! She also got caught hiding in the bushes at a gay rally. She was spying on them.

The left would sell their souls to the devil (for a second time) to make sure Bachmann was the nominee.  Obama wouldn’t even have to campaign to win!

We need a proven leader who HAS run a city, has run a state, has been an oil and gas regulator, and who has been whipping Obama like a rented mule since the 2008 election.

Sarah Palin is the only one who can turn this mess around. She has done it before. 

Accept no substitutes.

PG Haha
BUT exect the Gov to arrive by bus

Huckabee was naive in his willingness to forgive people who were clearly a threat to the public.  That’s not a religions issue, it’s a human issue, and is present on both sides of the political aisle. 

And the elected executives who pardon known criminals for political or personal gain, regardless of their ideology, there’s a special place in Hell for them.

Team Palin ain’t saying.  So I wouldn’t laugh just yet, lest the last laugh be on you.

Dungbat.

She can take it… to be expected I guess

Linked at RR

In Wake of Historical US Credit Downgrade, Bachmann Calls for Geithner to Resign