Bachmann's Strong Start

Michele Bachmann had a great start to her presidential campaign Monday night. Announcing that she’s running for president at the beginning of the debate was a clever way of grabbing headlines, but her performance wasn’t all gimmicks. She seemed to outshine Herman Cain, the other Tea Party favorite, on both substance and style.

Bachmann quoted Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to justify her opposition to the intervention in Libya. She talked about how she put “principle over party” when she cast her vote against TARP vote. And when CNN moderator John King asked her a silly hypothetical question, she gave him the silly answer he deserved.