Michele Bachmann Remembers Her Real Audience

Republican Presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann passed her first major media test with flying colors. She handled a pretty rude question from Chris Wallace during a Fox News Sunday television interview without even flinching.

As you can see in this video clip, Wallace brought up a number of mistatements or gaffs he said Bachmann had made and then asked, "Are you a flake?" 

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As we have stated many times before, you are not only addressing the host or reporter when you are engaged in a media interview, you are speaking to the public. Bachmann grasped this perfectly, talking about her credentials and why she's a serious candidate.

Notice what she did not do. She did not accept the premise of Wallace's question. She did not use "flake" in her response, which would have surely come back to haunt her in the weeks and months to come. She did not get angry and start pounding the table. 

Wallace later gave an online apology to his viewers, though not directly to Bachmann. Interestingly, some pundits argue the whole episode could actually end up giving Bachmann a boost because it might energize her supporters and cause others to give her a second look.