Better circle the wagons, pilgrim

Okay, okay -- it's no secret that Michele Bachmann's utterings provide a target-rich environment for pundits and late-night comics alike. It's almost impossible to resist, and few bother trying. Today, the entire left side of the politicosphere is guffawing over her latest gaffe. Apparently Bachmann told Fox News that John Wayne - the actor and movie icon - hails from her hometown: Waterloo, Iowa. "That’s the kind of spirit I have, too,” Bachmann gushed, vacant-eyed. The problem? The Duke was born in Winterset, another Iowan cow town 100 miles to the south. The "John Wayne" who did hail from Waterloo never fought the Apaches or stormed the beaches of Iwo Jima on a Hollywood movie set. Bachmann's hommie was the other guy: John Wayne Gacy, a notorious serial killer who murdered 30 men in the 1970s. He was convicted and executed in 1994. Oops. The voices in Bachmann's head tell her that she is a hardy pioneer destined to bridge the Cumberland Gap of politics. But like the settlers in a typical John Wayne movie, her campaign has been forced to "circle the wagons" to fend off the scalp-hunting media. It's much ado about nothing. We already know Bachmann isn't the brightest flower on the Iowa prairie. I say cut her some slack -- and save the ammo for the serious candidates.