Michele Bachmann accuses self of supporting Muslim extremists

Rep. Michele Bachmann (Gage Skidmore) Poor Michele Bachmann. While she continues to hold fast to her belief that there are agents of the Muslim Brotherhood in government, providing a fine opportunity for even Republicans to come to the conclusion that she is freaking nuts, another wrinkle in the conspiracy is getting a bit of attention. Frank Gaffney, the anti-Muslim conservative conspiracy theorist whose "research" is what Bachmann is using, has been engaged in a long running feud with anti-tax conservative Grover Norquist, whom Gaffney believes is also a secret agent of radical Islam. In fact, the very "report" or "course" or whatever you want to call the Gaffney brainburp that Bachmann explicitly referred to in her letter accusing Clinton aide Huma Abedin of being a secret agent of scary Muslims calls out Norquist by name:

7. The Muslim Brotherhood was helped in its efforts to achieve information dominance over the George W. Bush administration, thanks to collaboration between a top Muslim Brotherhood operative, Abdurahman Alamoudi, and anti-tax activist Grover Norquist.

8. In addition to al Qaeda financier Alamoudi, Norquist helped mainstream in the Bush campaign and/or administration five other Muslims with extensive ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. [...]

I think in technical terms Gaffney's evidence can be summarized as "booga booga booga," which is quite possibly the best evidence any conspiracy theorist can rely on. Statistically speaking, we're at a three-booga level of certainty here, people.

Jonathan Kay notes the past history between the two:

In short order, [Gaffney] developed an elaborate theory that Norquist was involved in a "trifecta" power play involving a conservative group called the Islamic Free Market Institute, Karl Rove's desire to open up a new GOP constituency, and Norquist's own fund-raising imperatives. At first, Gaffney suspects, Norquist's motives were cynical. But then, over time, he began to drink the Islamist kool-aid.

When I asked Gaffney whether he thought Norquist (who, in real life, is a Methodist) was a "closet Muslim," he thought for a moment, and replied: "I don't know ... But I have had Muslim people tell me that when they see [Norquist] in a Muslim-only setting, he acts like a Muslim. He is married to a Muslim woman."

Now that's a conspiracy theory! Do you think Michele Bachmann will get right on that? Will she demand we call Norquist in to explore his super-secret Muslim ties? Will Michele Bachman write stern letters demanding we investigate people in government who are associated with Norquist?

That would be especially fun. As Kay notes:

[T]here is an amusing irony at play here. Norquist is not just any conservative activist: his Taxpayer Protection Pledge has been signed by 95 percent of Republican congressmen (as well as Mitt Romney)'including every one of the five members of Congress who put their name on the Abedin letter.

Yeah, oops.