Michele Bachmann: Foreign Policy Is President Obama's 'Worst Act'

Michele Bachmann lambasted President Barack Obama's foreign policy as his presidency's "worst act" in an interview Sunday on CNN, saying that critiques of it may open the door to effective attacks by Republicans in the general election.

"[The GOP candidates] understand foreign policy," Bachmann told CNN's Candy Crowley in the interview on "State of the Union." "Probably President Obama's worst act as president has been on foreign policy. That hasn't begun to have the level of scrutiny that it needs to have."

After Crowley responded by pointing to Obama's successes in drawing down troops in Iraq, as well as the killing of Osama bin Laden, Bachmann dismissed those successes -- which have helped keep foreign policy out of the political discourse in this election cycle -- as a "tactical success."

"His strategic blunder is putting distance between the U.S. and Israel," Bachmann said. "That has a far more calculable impact on the United States and our safety."

Bachmann's remarks echoed the broader Republican belief that Israel is one potential wedge issue in the general election and might allow effective attacks against President Obama.

A recent Associated Press "fact check" pointed out that despite recent Republican claims, under Obama military aid for Israel has either remained stable or gone up from previous levels.

Bachmann also told Crowley that the Republican Party is "extremely pro-women," and that the party had not blundered in the past week in raising issues of contraception and birth control access at the national level.

Comments

[basilnmagic]

09:36 AM on 03/07/2012

You know Michelle, perhaps you and Rush Limbaugh ought to get together and start a new show? You could call it...."How outrageous can we be?" Maybe for sponsors you could get "Fruit Loops". I think Rush was speaking about you recently before he lost all his sponsors? But, you are cute as a bunny.

[Nwo2012]

11:23 AM on 03/03/2012

Distancing israel from US foreign policy is a good thing.

It should have been done decades ago.

[Jojola]

11:31 PM on 02/29/2012

"How To tell when someone is insane"? When they are totally not dealing in reality. This lady is about as wacky as they come. My advice to the republican party, if you value your party's reputation, I would highly suggest you clean house and rid your party of these psychos. Otherwise, there will never be another republican president, ever.

[Tyberius]

10:47 AM on 02/23/2012

she is insane. Obama got a Nobel Peace prize purely on the fact that he wasn't Pres Bush, and because he had to reverse so much Ill win created in the 8 years of the Bush/Cheney admin. That 8 years isolated and angered just about every nation, except for some reason Brittan to such a degree that hasn't happened in American History in, well maybe ever. The Neocon approach to Foreign Policy, at least demonstrated pre Obama, was this is what we're gonna do or GTFO, and we had the least amount of Global Support a country could have. You would think Bachmann would know what given her role in the Govt, if she could step out her ideology for a second and see clearly.

[demotom]

04:27 PM on 02/22/2012

It is truly wonderful just how the Republican lunnies like Michele Bachmann work real hard to strengthen and extend the Democratic base. She is doing a really good job at it. Keep up the good work, Michele. Perhaps after next November, President Obama will give you a medal for outstanding destruction of the Republican Party. Your are a marvelous cancer that is destroying the Republican conservative nonsense from inside the conservative body. You do more damage to the conservatives every time you open your mouth than a whole division of Democratic sharp shooters could do in a week. Continue to spread your insane uttering about the land. God speed.

[se72748]

04:12 PM on 02/22/2012

A few months ago,all the republicans thought and said anyone of the candidates could handily beat Obama.Now the republican powers are begging other new candidates to enter the republican race because the current field is so pathetic.What humiliation.What a laugh.LOLOL.It must really suck to be Gingrich,Romney,Paul an especially Santorum,the king of clowns

[KingCashio]

04:04 PM on 02/22/2012

GOP Motto: "When all else fails, make stuff up."

[se72748]

03:59 PM on 02/22/2012

How the heathen rage.President Obama is the best foreign policy expert in decades.Certainly head and shoulders above George Dubya Bush

[BahtHarim]

10:24 AM on 02/21/2012

"A recent Associated Press "fact check" pointed out that despite recent Republican claims, under Obama military aid for Israel has either remained stable or gone up from previous levels."

Typical Republican lies. Republicans' futile efforts to pander to Jewish voters will not succeed. We voted 78% for Obama in 2008, in line with Jews' overwhelming tendency to vote center-left. In fact, the one time they didn't vote overwhelmingly for the Democratic Presidential candidate was in 1920, when 38% voted for Eugene Debs, the Socialist Candidate, and only 19% for the Democrat.

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/jewvote.html

[mumi009]

10:15 AM on 02/21/2012

Wasn't Bachmann the candidate who thought the U.S. had an embassy in Iran and Africa was a country?

So much for critisizing someone else's foreign policy.

[gravescanada]

09:58 AM on 02/21/2012

Seems to me all Republicans can do is try and spin reality to fit their narrative. They cannot attack his actual record, so they do what they do best, twist the facts to suit their purpose. This will work for their hard core voters, but independents and liberals see the truth of the matter.

[Lanny Clifford]

08:42 AM on 02/22/2012

So very true. F&F.

[factsworkbest]

07:45 AM on 02/21/2012

Michelle Bachmann is one of the least intelligent people I've ever forced myself to listen to. There's no other way to say it. Of the candidates they had, only Huntsman had a good understanding of foreign policy and the GOP hated him. Of the ones they have left, no one has good foreign policy cred. Gingrich talks a good game about anything, until you fact check what he says. Santorum wasn't on a committee that would give him foreign policy expertise. Romney's never been in federal government. What does Bachmann base her comments on? Purely on politically self-serving rhetoric. She's just awful.

[MikeyG]

07:00 AM on 02/21/2012

Why are we still reading the ravings of this has-been?

[dutchman]

06:07 AM on 02/21/2012

The mendacity is strong in this one.

[Honeybabe1]

05:58 AM on 02/21/2012

by golly she's trying to outdo palin.