Bachmann Boasts Of "Titanium Spine"

CNN reports:

Rep. Michele Bachmann boasted of having a "titanium spine" in an interview Sunday, the day before she formally enters the race for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.

However, Bachmann had some difficulty in clarifying her stance on key issues and explaining federal funding that benefited her family in the interview on "Fox News Sunday."

"I have a titanium spine for doing what we need to do" to get the country turned around, Bachmann said, later challenging a question about whether past misstatements showed she was a "flake" by saying: "I think that was insulting to say something like that, because I'm a serious person."

The 55-year-old Tea Party favorite from Minnesota has bolted into leading contention among Republican candidates so far after a strong performance earlier this month in a New Hampshire GOP debate.

She will announce her candidacy on Monday in Iowa, the state where she was born and an important first destination in presidential campaigning.

"I have a distinct advantage there, I think," Bachmann said of Iowa.

She listed her accomplishments as a tax lawyer, legislator and mother, and cited her sincerity as a major strength in comparison to the other leading GOP contender early in the campaign -- former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.