Even Her Republican Cohorts Don't Like Michele Bachmann's latest Nastiness

Michele Bachmann has really stepped in it this time -- and her latest trip into the gutter may be enough to damage her re-election campaign. I say that because even her fellow Republicans think she's stepped way over the line this time -- and they are saying so publicly.

Bachmann has a history of making wild accusations with no regard to the harm she might do to those she is accusing (usually without any facts to back up her claims). Her latest accusation is against Secretary of State Clinton's Chief of Staff Huma Abedin. Bachmann sent an odious letter to several national security agencies accusing Abedin of helping the Muslim Brotherhood to infiltrate the United States government (by helping them get senior-level appointments to several government agencies).

Basically, she has accused Ms. Abedin of treason -- because that's what it would amount to if she had actually helped members of a foreign organization like the Muslim Brotherhood infiltrate the government of this country. Of course the charge is ridiculous. Senior-level appointees to any government agency are investigated, and even a hint of a connection to an organization like the Muslim Brotherhood would immediately disqualify the candidate. Neither party wants the kind of negative publicity that would come with the approval of such a person.

But this kind of thing is par for the course with Bachmann. She believes anyone who might disagree with her is an enemy of the United States (including most Democrats). This makes me wonder what she now thinks of many of her fellow Republicans -- because several have now publicly disagreed with her over the charges she made against Ms. Abedin. Here is what some of them have said:

Ed Gillispie, Republican strategist
"Her unsubstantiated charge against Abedin, a widely respected top aide to Secretary Hillary Clinton, accusing her of some sort of far-fetched connection to the Muslim brotherhood, is extreme and dishonest. Having worked for Congressman Bachman’s campaign for president, I am fully aware that she sometimes has difficulty with her facts,but this is downright vicious and reaches the late Senator Joe McCarthy level."

John Boehner, Speaker of the House
 "I haven’t seen the letter, but — I don’t know Huma, butfrom everything I do know of her, she has a sterling character. And I think accusations like this being thrown around are pretty dangerous."

Senator John McCain (R-Arizona)
"To say that the accusations made in both documents are not substantiated by the evidence they offer is to be overly polite and diplomatic about it. It is far better, and more accurate, to talk straight: These allegations about Huma Abedin, and the report from which they are drawn, are nothing less than an unwarranted and unfounded attack on an honorable citizen, a dedicated American, and a loyal public servant."

Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida)
"I can tell you that I don’t share the feelings that are in that letter. And in fact, I’m very very careful and cautious about ever making accusations like that about anyone."

Senator Scott Brown (R-Massachusetts)
Bachmann’s accusations were “out-of-line” and have “no place in our public discourse.”

It should be noted that while Bachmann spearheaded this effort to smear Ms. Abedin and frighten the American public, four other representatives also signed the letter she wrote. They are Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), Trent Franks (R-Arizona), Thomas Rooney (R-Florida), and Lynn Westmoreland (R-Georgia). They must share the well-deserved condemnation directed at Bachmann.

(The caricature of Michele Bachmann above is by DonkeyHotey.)