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Speech Fuels Speculation of Bachmann Presidential Bid

Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., spurred further speculation she mightbecome a contender for the Republican Party's presidential nomination byappearing as the Tea Party Express spokeswoman after PresidentBarack Obama's 2011 State of the Union address. Bachmann delivered a six-minutespeech to activists, but the speech was also televised. The congresswoman'sresponse to the State of the Union address was widely considered muchtougher than the mainstream Republican response, given by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.

Bachmann was elected to represent Minnesota's sixth Congressionaldistrict in 2006, and went on to found the House Tea Party Caucus. Heroutspoken positions have ensured her a prominent place within theconservative tea party movement, with some regarding her as being a ,only without the negatives. Bachmann has made moves to test the watersby speaking in Iowa, with that state's caucus serving as the first eventin the Republican Party's nomination process. She made her secondappearance in Iowa on ,and as Bachmann makes more appearances in the Hawkeye State, she willonly deepen speculation about her presidential intentions.

However, all the speculation does not mean Bachmann is astrong candidate, either nationally or within the Republican Party. places Bachmann near the bottom of the pack, far behind the bigcontenders of 2008, Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney. Bachmann is also notquite as popular within the Republican Party as her fame might suggest,as she was by her party's leadership during the recent transition of power in theHouse of Representatives. Yet Bachmannwould surely profit if Palin (who ranked in the middle of thatpoll) were to stay out of the contest, the Iowa Caucus is still a year away, and inpolitics everything can change over the course of a year. Nonetheless, the early numberssuggest an uphill struggle for the Minnesota congresswoman.

Bachmann's presidential prospects are also shaped by how she might fare in a national election. As races such astea party favorites sometimes have little or no appeal outside ofRepublican circles. Palin herself underscores this, as the formerAlaska governor remains as she is wildly popular within conservative circles. Bachmann is alsoprone to Palin-like gaffes, such as her recent (inaccurate) comments that theFounding Fathers worked "tirelessly" to abolish slavery, which lead