Bachmann Blames FDR For "Hoot-Smalley" Tariffs.

I'm always utterly bemused by the startling mixture of confidence and stupidity which Michelle Bachmann seems to radiate. The only person I've seen recently with this quality was Palin, although somewhere behind Palin's eyes I always thought there was more than a hint of panic.

Not Bachmann. Here she confidently berates FDR for signing what she imagines was known as the "Hoot-Smalley Tariff Act".

Leaving aside the fact that she should be talking about the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, is this woman even aware that it was Hoover who signed Smoot-Hawley into law, and not FDR?

Hoover opposed the bill and called it "vicious, extortionate, and obnoxious" because he felt it would undermine the commitment he had pledged to international cooperation. (Hoover was right. The international community levied their own tariffs in response after the bill had become law.)

However, in the end, Hoover bowed to pressure from his own party and business leaders and signed the bill.

And yet she delivers all of this with perfect aplomb as if she really understands both history and her brief.

That confidence, whilst talking utter piffle, really makes me suspect that she is borderline insane.

Tags: Michelle Bachmann, Hoot-Smalley, Smoot-Hawley, FDR