That said, Bachmann has no potential to be anything but an obstacle to conservative success. She can't win the nomination. Her candidacy will either be entirely futile or a boon to Mitt Romney. Her supporters can wrap themselves up in the security blanket of a few early polls that reflect the ludicrous media puffery that followed Bachmann’s adequate performance in the first debate. She's going nowhere.
The media has just been fattening her for Mitt's ritual slaughter and as part of an effort to scare Sarah Palin out of the race. Either a serious candidate will emerge to Romney's right (where there is a lot of room) or Bachmann will occupy that space alone. If someone else enters the race Bachmann will quickly find herself restored to also-ran status. She just isn't particularly good at being “not Romney.” If the field remains as it is, Romney will crush her, early and often.
That's reality. There is nobody here who wouldn't prefer MB to both Romney and Obama. There are a lot of us who believe that Bachmann is only making an Obama v. Romney match more likely.