Bachmann Boost

The idiotic conspiracy theory peddling Michele Bachmann has been doing lately is really very her. So I shouldn't be surprised. But I can't help but feel that someone who has risen so high as a politician could be so incapable of rational thought. Her baffling and seemingly unprompted quest to expose Islamic infiltrations in Washington is not only perplexing in how unfounded it is, but how stupid a move it is politically, too. It would seem as though her witch hunt is really only assisting her Democratic opponent:

Graves said he’s seen an “uptick in financial support” on the ground in the 6th District as Bachmann’s quest to rid the federal government of “Islamist” infiltrators has dominated headlines. Many of Bachmann’s fellow Republicans, including her former presidential campaign manager Ed Rollins, have condemned her recent charges, especially the ones aimed at State Department staffer Huma Abedin.

And the other question here is what effect it will have on the Republican establishment. Even they're already getting concerned. Establishment Republicans are making the savvy political decision of distancing themselves publicly from her. Bachmann's dedicated pursuit of this bullshit theory linking a top Clinton aide to the Muslim Brotherhood isn't a positive PR campaign, but when it's put in perspective really only marginally more embarrassing than her ill-fated foray into the science behind vaccination, or her frequently expressed interpretation of history. Sure, it's pretty bad, but I don't think it will have an effect nearly as great as the one Juan Cole is projecting:

Just as Arizona governor Jan Brewer’s campaign against Latinos has helped deprive GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney of support in that community, Bachmann’s targeting of Muslim-Americans and, implicitly, Arab-Americans, could hurt Romney in those communities.

In any case, if her fellow Republicans can avoid becoming tangled in her conspiracy theorizing, then they might be able to avoid becoming tainted by her brush.