Another Episode Of Michelle Bachmann's Cavalcade Of Crazy

Yesterday in classic Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) form, the Tea Party Caucus Chairman once again pushed the bounds of reality by sending an inquiry regarding Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's aide Huma Abedin. She and four other House Republican co-conspirators, Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Trent Franks (R-AZ), Tom Rooney (R-FL) and Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA), raised questions about Abedin, who is Secretary Clinton's deputy chief of staff. They sent a letter in June to the State Department's inspector general suggesting members of Abedin's family may have connections to the Muslim Brotherhood, which the writers said may be seeking access to high levels of the U.S. government. Bachmann defended her actions Thursday on the talk show of conservative host Glenn Beck. (cant go wrong there!) "If my family members were associated with Hamas, a terrorist organization, that alone could be sufficient to disqualify me from getting a security clearance," Bachmann said, according to a transcript of her remarks. "So all we did is ask, did the federal government look into her family associations before she got a high level security clearance." There is no evidence connecting Abedin or her family to any terrorist organization.

In a rare moment of clarity, several Republicans took issue with the accusations by Bachmann and her associates. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), at a regular news briefing, said "accusations like this being thrown around are pretty dangerous." He said he did not know Abedin, but "from everything I know of her, she has a sterling character."

Former Presidential Nominee, and Arizona Senator John McCain denounced the accusations from the Senate Floor. "Rarely do I come to the floor of this institution to discuss particular individuals," McCain said. "But I understand how painful and injurious it is when a person's character, reputation, and patriotism are attacked without concern for fact or fairness." He called Abedin "an intelligent, upstanding, hard-working, and loyal servant of our country and our government, who has devoted countless days of her life to advancing the ideals of the nation she loves and looking after its most precious interests." He went further calling the attack "sinister".

Edward Rollins, a prominent Republican strategist who worked on Bachmann's primary campaign. wrote that he was "fully aware that she sometimes has difficulty with her facts," (that's the understatement of the year!) but said "this is downright vicious and reaches the late Senator Joe McCarthy level," a reference to the U.S. senator from Wisconsin who rose and then fell accusing government officials and others of being communists in the 1950s. "....Shame on you, Michele!" Rollins wrote, adding that she should apologize to Abedin, Clinton and "to the millions of hard working, loyal, Muslim Americans for your wild and unsubstantiated charges."

The lawmakers' June 13 letter, which they released publicly, asserted that the State Department had recently taken action "enormously favorable" to the Muslim Brotherhood and that its interests could pose a security risk for the United States. The letter cited a security study by an outside group alleging that three members' of Abedin's family, including her father who died two decades ago, and her mother and brother were linked to operatives or organizations of the Muslim Brotherhood. Abedin is married to former U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner of New York, who is Jewish.

A State Department spokesman said Clinton "very much values" Abedin's "wise counsel and support" and called the allegations preposterous. O.K. is it me? You have to wonder what gene pool the people who elect this moron are drawing from? Are there a series of insane asylums in Minnesota's 6th district? We're being infiltrated by the Muslim Brotherhood? You couldn't make this shit up if you tried? Here are five people in Congress who signed their names to this conspiratorial non-sense? I'm surprised Allen West (R-FL) didn't add his master list of Communists in the House. There are 78-81 of them you know. These people represent not only our government, but are no doubt elected by people just like them. What makes a person vote for someone who pontificates in this garbage?

On a positive note, my hats off to Republicans who would normally let this whack job slide for yet another one of her departures from reality. It provides optimism that the Right realizes this kind of crazy needs to be cut off at the knees. You can't come out with these kind of unfounded allegations, and not reap some kind of consequences. Maybe there is a limit to what the Right will do to score political points, one can only hope.