WHOOPS – AT 7:52 P.M. ET:  Republicans must finally learn that they must operate to a higher, more precise standard, to help overcome the media bias thrown their way.   President Obama can commit one gaffe after another – such as saying that the U.S. has 57 states, or getting the name of a Medal of Honor recipient wrong – and the media gives him a pass.  Not so for Republicans. 

Michele Bachmann launched her campaign for president in her home town of Waterloo, Iowa, today, and the launch went well...until the "oh no" moment.  From the Los Angeles Times:

And then it happened. A microphone was placed in front of her, and a statement that should have been ingrained in her head came out all wrong. She said that like the famous rugged cowboy star, John Wayne, she too was from Waterloo which was why she was picking the small town to announce her candidacy.

"Well what I want them to know is just like John Wayne was from Waterloo, Iowa. That's the kind of spirit that I have, too," Bachmann told a Fox News reporter.

One small detail: John Wayne Gacy, the infamous mass murderer is from Waterloo. The Duke, although his parents met in Waterloo, is from Iowa, but from Winterset, nearly three hours away by car.

Gacy had his first run-in with the long arm of the law in Waterloo. The man who killed dozens of young men and boys over a six-year murder period was locked up in Waterloo for a year and a half for an attempted sexual assault.

Oh, oh, oh.  This is the kind of mistake that Bachmann can't afford to make.  She has a history of gaffes, but probably no more than Obama.  But she will be treated differently, and must realize the need for getting every "i" dotted.  What she should probably do now is simply say that she misspoke, that John Wayne, the actor, had a Waterloo affiliation.  It will pass.

Michele is now in the major leagues.  When you're batting against the Yankees or the Red Sox, you don't take your eye off the ball.

June 27, 2011