Michele Bachmann‘s former campaign manager Ed Rollins was grilled by Hardball host Chris Matthews Wednesday about whether he still wanted her to be president. Rollins’ response was an ambiguous “she will evolve,” followed by a refusal to answer whether he wanted her to be Commander-in-Chief.

When questioned by Matthews on whether he is still involved in the campaign, Rollins lukewarmly said, “I’m available if she needs to call me and ask me for anything.”

Cable news coverage of current (and potential) GOP candidates has been constant and self-fulfilling; the media’s declared frontrunners have predictably garnered the most coverage, and the “longshot” candidates have been covered far less, while all three cable news networks have been covering the GOP candidates in roughly the same proportions. Analyzing the specific mentions of candidates on all three major cable news network, however, reveals that MSNBC has dedicated more coverage to the GOP White House hopefuls than Fox News and CNN.

The Family Leader, an Iowa-based political group with the stated mission to promote Christian conservative social values, has been asking Republican candidates to sign a pledge titled “The Marriage Vow – A Declaration of Dependence upon Marriage and Family.” Rep. Michele Bachmann recently signed the pledge, and now some are in uproar that she may also have agreed to ban pornography.

Michelle Bachmann joined Bill O’Reilly last night to discuss tonight’s State of the Union speech and her response on behalf of the Tea Party Express organization. The subject of Gabrielle Giffords inevitably came up, and Bachmann revealed her personal reaction to learning the tragic news that a friend of hers had been shot. The conversation quickly turned to the post-shooting exploitation war that quickly played out in the media, which Mr. O’Reilly claimed his side to have won.

The crew at Fox and Friends had fellow Fox News anchor Bill O’Reilly on their show this morning via telephone. The subject of Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann came up in conversation, specifically why these two woman seemed to be lightening rods for criticism, particularly from the left. O’Reilly had an interesting take on this saying, “I don’t get the good-looking factor,” suggesting that part of the reason these two receive so many knocks is because they are so attractive.

President Obama‘s high-profile plan to visit India came with a high-profile number that much of the media have latched onto: $200 million. That’s the alleged daily cost according to “a top official of the Maharashtra Government privy to the arrangements for the high-profile visit,” a price tag that the White House has tried to deflect. Now Anderson Cooper is on the case. The verdict? It’s a “made up story.”

Chris Matthews just had a action-packed interview with triumphant congresswoman Michelle Bachmann during which one brave soul brandished a sign making fun of Sarah Palin, and another who wandered through the second half of the interview with a big sign asking ‘How’s the tingle Chris?’ complete with the NBC peacock symbol.

Last night Rachel Maddow reported on the so-called “expulsion” of Mark Williams and the Tea Party Express from the larger “Tea Party Movement.” Williams was “booted” after he crafted what many thought to be inappropriate parody that played upon racial tropes and stereotypes. “How does one get kicked out of a movement?” Maddow asked, barely keeping her schadenfreude in check as she outlined the byzantine structure that is the Tea Party movement.

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R – MN) recently recorded a interview with conservative radio host Ben Shapiro, and lashed into President Obama. The most noteworthy comments include a number of doozies: calling his response to the BP oil spill “infantile”; claiming that Obama is siding with Islam against Israel and…wait for it: saying he’s the worst president in United States history. Now that’s hyperbole!

Bill Maher’s guests the other night, which included New Yorker editor David Remnick and journalist Laura Flanders, appeared to concur with Frank Rich’s take on what’s motivating the movement, concluding from the poll results that the Partiers are actually not that upset about government involvement or taxing (they like their medicare; social security), but are worried and angry that we have a black president.

Gail Collins of the New York Times weighs in on last week’s joint Sarah Palin/Michelle Bachmann rally and the larger ramifications of the Palin ‘wow’ factor and utter lack of substance. Palin is corrupting the tone of national politics! But it is entirely her fault?

Earlier this week, self-described “Tea Party” protesters descended on Washington for what they called “Code Red” rally on health care. Participants were joined by numerous conservative and Republican personalities including Rep. Michele Bachmann, radio-host Laura Ingraham, Sen. Jim Demint and Sen. Tom Coburn. Participants dressed in an alarming red, chanted, “Kill the bill!,” and some even got into the spirit of Christmas in a most unusual way — by singing a Tea Party version of the “12 Days of Christmas.” Video after the jump.

It’s not really a secret around here that I am a big fan of New York Times op-ed columnist and author Gail Collins. Collins, whose witty and sharp columns often add a measure of levity to the Times op-ed pages — particularly during last year’s sometimes fraught campaign season — has brought those same talents [...]

Call it Bachmann Tea-Party Overdrive: Last night Jon Stewart and the Daily Show staff revealed something remarkable: That in his coverage of Michele Bachmann‘s so-called “Superbowl of Freedom” last weekend in D.C., Sean Hannity used footage of Glenn Beck‘s 9/12 event to make the Bachmann rally look bigger. By a factor of thousands.

Last night Rep. Michele Bachmann appeared on The O’Reilly Factor and was told by the host that she is “second to Sarah Palin in far left angst…they’re after you now.” Bachmann responded by saying “it’s almost like I have personal stalkers, only they have TV shows” explaining that they are on a competing cable network. Psst – she’s talking about MSNBC. Update – Olbermann responds!

Add one more personality to the increasingly disturbing game or rhetoric surrounding the current Health Care debate. In response to U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann‘s comment of “What we have to do today is make a covenant, to slit our wrists, be blood brothers on this thing,” radio host Montel Williams upped the ante in a shocking reply during his program on Air America. Listen for yourself after the jump.