(CNN) – Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann didn't walk back on recent comments about the dangers of a vaccine Monday, but defended herself by staking her own unique position.
"I wasn't speaking as a doctor. I wasn't speaking as a scientist," she told CNN's "The Situation Room" anchor Wolf Blitzer during an interview. "I was merely passing on...what I had heard."
Bachmann was careful not to repeat previous comments about a woman who'd approached her "sobbing" following CNN's "Tea Party Republican Debate" and who, she says, confided that her daughter "suffered from mental retardation" after receiving the vaccine that protects against HPV–a sexually transmitted disease that can cause cervical cancer.
Those comments stirred up controversy-and questions about the GOP presidential candidate's discipline on the campaign trail-again.
But for the three-term congresswoman, the questions aren't about discipline. They're a distraction from "crony capitalism" exercised by Texas Gov. Rick Perry, the current GOP frontrunner.
"This is something that someone had said to me, a mother that's very concerned," she said.
"The point in the debate that I made is it's up to the parents to make that decision about the HPV vaccine and this was clearly an abuse of the governor."
"A lot of people are missing the main point…crony capitalism and abuse of executive power," Bachmann argued.
And she sounded off on President Obama's plan to reduce the deficit, calling him "the great divider" instead of the "great uniter."
Insisting that she wasn't just being "contrary" in opposing the plan, Bachmann said, "If this worked to create jobs I'd be completely on board with the president…what he's suggesting is the same old same old…there's nothing new here, why would anyone go with that?"
As the United Nations General Assembly begins to unfold, Bachmann also attacked the president's foreign policy.
"I don't believe Israel should have to give away any more of its land," she said. "The president hasn't done Israel any favors."
Instead, she advised the president to "disallow" Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from stepping "one foot" in the U.S. for his persistent threats against Israel.
"He is a genocidal madman," Bachmann said.
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Neither is she an economist, a historian, an intellectual, or anything else that would truly matter when trying to unravel the morass her crowd has led us to.
"in other news, president Bachmann heard from a distraught supporter that Burundi has weapons of mass destruction and pushed the red button...ooops!"
We already knew that Bachmann was certainly no doctor.
She lundered Leno. Sorry Bachmann- no credibility in the real world.
She isn't speaking as a doctor. She isn't speaking as a scientist. She nevertheless speaks and her words make it very clear why she shouldn't be in charge of the country, a state, a town, a house, a puppy, a bird, a rock . . .
I am hoping that Tina Fey is able to do Bachmann as well as Palin. A lot of great material there!
Michelle Bachmann should know by now that "playing telephone" with other people's remarks is just plain dangerous!! And this woman wants to be President????? That in itself is DANGEROUS!!
She is hardly human much less a skilled worker of any kind...
I'm merely a politician, trailing in the poles, attempting to pass on heresay as fact in an attempt to scare the uneducated.
Michele, people are missing your point (which is a good one) since you went too far by introducing into the conversation gossip and false science. Now you are trying to defend that gaffe by saying that you really don't know what you are talking about since, after all, you are not a scientist. Learn from this. If you don't know something is true or false, don't talk about!
Yet more baloney from Michelle. She must be taking lessons from Sarah. All criticism about Obama's plan and no actual thoughts on how best to get us out of this economic and deficit/debt issue. blah blah blah. SOSDD from the rightwing lunatics
Wow, great commander-in-chief material. But, the AMAZING thing is that there are many people in this country who admire her. I just don't understand.
Why do none of my comments ever get posted on this page ?
So...if she were President she'd pass along what she hears, even if it's not true? OMG.....the White House would then become Gossip Central!
Was she on-the-clock when she made any of the outrageous statements? If she was, then she should be subject to whatever progressive discipline procedure exists for her ilk. If her behavior doesn't improve, she should be sent to Employee Assistance and then she should be fired. Why do we need so many elected officials anyway? They aren't fixing anything. Let's get some sort of evaluation process going, rank all of them, fire about 30% of them and cut pay and benefits for the rest. Time to run things like a real business. We can't afford to have these slackers on the payroll anymore.
"I wasn't speaking as a doctor. " But I run a medical clinic anyway.
Someone needs to show her the door.
I can't say that I would ever vote for her, but I do like her ability to make you Libs screech and throw your poo. I would say that she is on the same level as Obama and Biden – neither know what they are talking about and are darn good BSers. The scary part is that Obama and Biden are in power.....
Please CNN – you have many other important issues to report on, and Bachmann, total idiot, is a waste of your time
and your readers.
Let's see some substance CNN
When is her reality show?
She forgot to mention that she is also unqualified to be the Pres., same for Palin (the phony baloney).
"Hours after delivering a White House speech that called on wealthy Americans to pay higher taxes, President Barack Obama dined with some of these very Americans in New York. He was expected to raise more than $2 million for his reelection campaign. He didn’t mention his plan to tax the rich, at least not in front of reporters."
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lol...what a hypocritical fraud Obama is.
"I don't believe Israel should have to give away any more of its land,"
Obviously she isn't an historian either.
Bachmann is no doctor; she's no president either.
I think the policy base on let people who can't afford an health care insurance die
is a good policy