One of the things Republicans have learned in recent years is that a candidate doesn't have to be particularly intelligent as long as he can stick to the talking points that are prepared for him by his staff. They were perfectly happy with Ronald Reagan the "great communicator"—a bit less so with George W. Bush, not because of his lack of intellect, but because he didn't stick to the conservative agenda quite firmly enough. Both were happy to leave the actual decision-making to the likes of Oliver North and Dick Cheney, and that's just fine with the conservative powers-that-be.

Michelle Bachman said some pretty idiotic things when she was merely a member of Congress, but now that she is seriously running for president, she has raised enough money to hire a good PR staff, speech writers, debate coaches, etc., and she follows their advice, and no longer seems quite the idiot she once was. Her success as a candidate will depend on whether reporters and opponents will be able to get her "off script."