Fresh Scrutiny As Bachmann Surges

The Washington Post reports:

In the race for the White House, Michele Bachmann is surging. A new Iowa poll, the first snapshot in the first-in-the-nation caucus state, found Bachmann statistically tied with frontrunner Mitt Romney among likely Republican caucus-goers there.

Yet on Sunday, a day before Bachmann was to formally launch her campaign in her birthplace of Waterloo, Iowa, the Minnesota congresswoman faced the kind of scrutiny that comes to any leading presidential contender.

On “Fox News Sunday,” host Chris Wallace quizzed Bachmann on a series of apparent inconsistencies in her legislative record and personal background — from Medicare to government subsidies and earmarks to her opposition to same-sex marriage.

Then, as he wrapped up the interview, Wallace asked her: “Are you a flake?”

“I think that would be insulting to say something like that because I’m a serious person,” Bachmann retorted.