7 Republican presidential candidates debated last night in New Hampshire, only one had an impact: Michele Bachmann. Ms. Bachmann should place in the polls. Doing so will be paid by Sarah Palin.

The debate was poorly choreographed. With seven candidates limited to 30 seconds responses stretched over two hours, things became repetitive. Tim Pawlenty was boring enough to replace Valium, Mitt Romney got into his "Gee shucks, jelly beans, is not life grand?" Acting too soon, and Rick Santorum seemed a little sick. Hosts spice things with questions like "Do you prefer Pepsi or Coca-Cola?" There was the ubiquitous "reading Tweets", as if Bob has the opinion of West Virginia for the cat. Everyone was on best behavior, no one wanted a fight. To this end, I lacked Golden Girls lifetime?


And then Michele Bachmann ignored a question and announced his candidacy for President of the United States instead. It was a bold move that could have gone very wrong. Instead, he threw the drive way and she rode like a wild horse right to the end. Ms. Bachmann is one of those people that never blinks intense as often as it should. When it is set in a problem-it is buzzed enough to be high on coke. But surrounded by these old gray men, suddenly seemed full of energy and spark.

And how eloquent! Bachmann is seen by the liberal press as a rival Sarah Palin, because both are conservative women. But while Palin has a "complicated relationship" with the English language, and often the wings with generalities, Bachmann, came as a Policy Wonk. She reminded the audience of the law so much she had written one or treated waste, and made frequent references to his pioneering leadership of the Tea Party in the House. His answer on abortion was beautiful. The hosts tried to catch debate by asking what he would do in cases of rape and incest. Bachmann responded with a lyrical explanation of the value of life, avoiding the details entirely. -Right to life means what he really meant; independent does not care because it sounded very good. This is how you sell conservatism.

There were other noteworthy. Herman Cain opened smart businessman, and Ron Paul still stands as the most radical out there. Gingrich has not done enough to redeem his candidacy, but their intelligent and practical responses of space exploration and immigration must remind voters that he is the most experienced legislator in the field. It's sad to see such an epic struggle against a figure of importance in a race full of relatively inexperienced people.

But the history of the media for the next week or so is Bachmann. Inevitably, journalists asked, that has eclipsed Sarah Palin? It's a nagging question, since it implies that the public can only be a conservative woman at a time. But there is no doubt that Bachmann has done a brilliant debut. And while Palin is out of the race, Tea Party people looking for something to do will sign the conservative with the impetus and courage to stand. If someone is looking, as the new Mrs. T, is Ms. B.

Tags: Michele Bachmann threat to Sarah Palin claim to be the new Margaret Thatcher