Joe McCarthy 2.0 - Michele Bachmann's Witch Hunt

In this election year, Representative Michele Bachmann has very little to do. Her run for President ended with a small bang. She has raised more money than her opponent for re-election for her Congressional seat and it appears she will win. But this is not enough for Ms. Bachmann. She needs attention. She needs people talking about her. She needs to be on Fox News and appear to be important. And what has she brought us now?

Bachmann has channeled her inner Joe McCarthy and is making accusations and "naming names." Though Bachmann is not going after Communists as McCarthy did. Instead, Bachmann is going after Muslims; any Muslim. Michele Bachmann is stating that the Muslim Brotherhood has "infiltrated" into the highest reaches of the federal government. She has sent letters to various government agencies demanding a full investigation to cleanse the government of terrorists. To put it simply, Michele Bachmann has lost her mind.

Bachmann started her witch hunt several months ago when she claimed that the U.S. Government had been infiltrated by terrorists. Her early claims were vague. She refused to provide any details. But of course these vague allegations got her appearances on Fox News. But after Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) a Muslim himself, sent Bachmann a letter demanding that she provide names and a full account of her sources did Bachmann provide any details.

Not surprisingly, Bachmann has only named Democrats. Not surprisingly because Bachmann is already on the record stating that President Obama and Michelle Obama hold "un american views." The most notable person Bachmann has "named" is Huma Abedin, a long time aid to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Bachmann claims that she is concerned that Abedin has "familial" ties to the Muslin Brotherhood. The tie offered by Bachmann is tenuous at best and revolves around Abedin's father, who died in 1993, and somebody he may have known in the 1970s. For the record, Abedin is the wife of Anthony Weiner, the former congressman from New York. Weiner is well known for his pro-Israel politicians in America. Further, Abedin has had several background checks given her position. She has been investigated by the FBI. There is simply no evidence to support Bachmann's claims.

Of course, Michele Bachmann does not care if there is any evidence to support her allegations. She is not interested in facts or getting to the bottom of things. She is not interested in public safety. She just wants to be relevant again. Did Republicans not learn anything from the McCarthy era? To remind them, McCarthy's tactics and inability to substantiate his claims led him to be censured by the United States Senate. Moreover, McCarthy's legacy is forever tarnished and he is remembered as one of the most despicable displays of abuse of power in American History.

Ms. Bachmann's unsubstantiated allegations deserve the same fate. Ms. Bachmann herself should also be remembered as despicable. Furthermore, as Bachmann sits on the Intelligence Committee, her public accusations, if there is any truth to them, puts American Security at risk by disclosing confidential information she learned in her position of trust. So the alternatives are Ms. Bachmann is either making unsubstantiated claims about innocent people or disclosing confidential information to the public that puts the public at risk. Either way, she has lost her mind and is unfit to hold office.

So what is really going on? It is an election year and Bachmann is playing the Republican Party's favorite fear mongering game: try to scare the American public into believing that there is an Islamic Plot to take over the government at work. In 2010, it was the issue of the "Ground Zero Mosque" that captivated Republican candidates despite the fact the proposed Mosque was not on Ground Zero. This year, Bachmann is trying to lead the charge by claiming a Muslim Brotherhood infiltration into government positions. Hopefully, like McCarthy, Bachmann ends her career as a joke and as an example of why politicians should not overreach.