Michele Bachmann Should Withdraw Her Candidacy

Michele Bachmann in Miami (Lynne Sladkey/AP Photo)

Michelle Bachmann placed her foot squarely in her mouth Sunday when she called for oil drilling in the Florida Everglades, if it can be done responsibly.  Ham on Wry has great difficulty taking her candidacy seriously when she makes frequent gaffes in speaking with the media.  Clearly, Bachmann has no idea what she's talking about in even considering drilling for oil there.  If she had bothered to do her homework before opening her mouth, she would have realized that the Everglades cover a fragile ecosystem deemed crucial for preservation and important to the environment.

Bachmann told the Associated Press, "The United States needs to be less dependent on foreign sources of energy and more dependent upon American resourcefulness. Whether that is in the Everglades, or whether that is in the eastern Gulf region, or whether that's in North Dakota, we need to go where the energy is.  Of course it needs to be done responsibly. If we can't responsibly access energy in the Everglades then we shouldn't do it."  Doesn't it make sense for a presidential candidate to investigate an idea's feasibility before speaking about it?"  I shudder at the thought of someone like Bachmann sitting in the Oval Office making judgment calls in a haphazard fashion.

The Everglades Foundation released a statement Monday responding to Bachmann's utterly ridiculous stance.  “NRA card-carrying hunters, fishermen, waterfowlers, and other outdoors enthusiasts do not want to see oil drilling in their Everglades wildlife paradise. In addition, the Everglades is the source of fresh, clean drinking water for more than 7 million Floridians. Congresswoman Bachmann needs to understand that oil and drinking water do not mix.”  Many geologists have concluded not much usable oil exists in the Everglades anyway.

Tuesday, a CBS reporter in Miami asked Bachmann, "Why would you invade that natural resource with gas and oil drilling?"

Bachmann responded, "Let's access this wonderful treasure trove of energy that God has given us in this country. Let's access it responsibly."  Now there's a truly well-phrased response. As Shakespeare penned, "Much Ado About Nothing."  Bachmann has mastered the art of political speak well.  Her mouth moves and words come out, but they mean absolutely nothing.

Try to imagine Michele Bachmann at a G8 conference, sitting next to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, recently named by Forbes as the most powerful woman in the world.  Perhaps they could exchange recipes, because Bachmann could not hold her own in the company of the G8 members.  She can do America a big favor and withdraw from the race before she makes us the laughingstock of the world.