Michele Bachmann Wows Iowa GOP Crowd

From Politico In Des Moines, Iowa — Michele Bachmann served up red meat to the crowd at the Iowa conservative principles conference Saturday, slamming President Barack Obama as a Jimmy Carter retread, dissing the Mitch Daniels "truce" call for social issues, and saying she wants a "waiver" from the last two years of White House leadership.

Talking loudly and waving her hands, a pumped Bachmann used a slide presentation of various numbers — the national debt, the cost of a gallon of gas two years ago the day before Obama took office, the corporate tax rate — to make her points and pull the crowd in.

Suggesting that Iowa caucus voters had the power to halt Obama, Bachmann wrapped up her speech by asking, "Are you in? are you in for 2012?"

"I agree with you!" she said as the crowd cheered, and added, "I'm in!"

The Minnesota firebrand gave the best-received speech of the potential 2012 hopefuls appearance at Rep. Steve King's conference and the crowd wildly applauded her brand of populism. It was a reminder that while Bachmann has been criticized for miscues in her public statements, there is a space for her to fill in the Iowa caucuses should she decide to jump into the race for the White House.

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