[A CA Guy]

Wallace did NOT ask a legitimate question.

Have you ever heard another Presidential candidate in their life be asked by a main stream reporter if they were a flake before? If so, do give us all that link.

I can see Wallace asking if she felt marginalized because of being thought of as a Tea Party candidate? That would have been the reporter type of correction for that situation, not asking about being a flake.

[Dr. Scarpetta]

Have you ever heard another Presidential candidate in their life be asked by a main stream reporter if they were a flake before? If so, do give us all that link.

Exactly...

[x]

Like I said, Wallace could have phrased his question differently, and probably should have, but whether Bachmann is really ready for a long campaign and the White House is a legitimate question.

What a politician should do when asked a question that's disrespectful is a judgment call. I guess she had the right to get indignant, but ...

1) If she rose to the occasion and was the bigger person she could have proved Wallace wrong and gained some credibility. If she put in an impressive performance, she'd impress people and disprove the put-downs. Getting indignant might be understandable but it could mean losing a rare opportunity.

2) You can only play that indignation card so many times. Is it really wise for a conservative politician to use it against Fox News, rather than save it for use against a real foe?

3) So often it's "I agree with this politician, therefore she put in a good performance." Maybe Bachmann did do the right thing, but I wonder how much of that is simply another way of saying, "I like her" and whether people would have same opinion about another politician with other views.