Amid speculation that she could run for president in 2012, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) spoke to ABC News in the key primary state of Iowa about her ambitions for the next election cycle.
"I'm in for 2012 in that I want to be a part of the conversation in making sure that President Obama only serves one term, not two, because I want to make sure that we get someone who's going to be making the country work again," she explained in an exclusive interview published online on Thursday.
CNN reports that Bachmann is expected to announce the launch of a presidential exploratory committee in June, if not sooner. While she has been noncommittal when asked about her plans for 2012 in recent weeks, the Tea Party darling has taken her message to several primary battlegrounds, including South Carolina and New Hampshire in addition to Iowa.
ABC News reports that Bachmann "sounded positively [Sarah] Palin-esque" in delivering a speech at a home-schooling convention during her trip to Des Moines. According to the outlet, the conservative congresswoman characterized herself as "one tough cookie" and "a very strong tough individual."
Bachmann suggested her decision on whether or not to launch a presidential campaign would not be affected by the prospect of Palin herself deciding to run. She said "I love Sarah Palin" and added, "She's a beautiful individual and I'm privileged to have gotten to know her."
However, Bachmann had less complimentary words for some members of her party currently serving in congress. ABC News reports:
In the wide-ranging interview, Bachmann, first elected in 2007, portrayed GOP leaders in Congress as weak-kneed moderates more eager to compromise with the president rather than confront him.
In the exchange, Bachmann asserted, "We need to go toe-to-toe, eyeball-to-eyeball with the president and say, Mr. President, you are wrong on the government takeover of healthcare."
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