Here's an interesting twist on Michele Bachmann's plan to offer her own Tea Party-flavored response to Obama's State of the Union speech: It turns out GOP aides are annoyed with CNN for agreeing to air her speech in its entirety.
Originally, Bachmann's response was going to be available for viewing only on the Internet. But CNN has announced that her speech will be shown in full in addition to broadcasting the speech from GOP Rep. Paul Ryan, who was picked for the official response by the Republican leadership.
GOP aides are unhappy with the decision, because it risks making the opposition look conflicted -- as if the two are trying to upstage one another -- muddling GOP efforts to offer a unified response.
"CNN is basically inventing a conflict that doesn't really exist," a GOP aide emails. "It's not responsible journalism."
CNN's decision to air Bachmann's speech, interestingly, is angering liberals and Republicans alike. Steve Benen notes this morning that Bachmann's Tea Party brew could end up making Ryan's speech look moderate and reasonable in comparison. Both Benen and Atrios also point out that it could create a fundamental imbalance -- two Republicans responding to one speech from Obama -- and that there's no way CNN would allow a liberal Dem to offer a response from the left, as Bachmann is doing from the hard right.
But Republicans, too, have reason to be annoyed about this. Granting such a high profile to Bachmann's Messianic Tea Party air won't help the GOP manage the already difficult task of offering a response that has a chance of competing with Obama's speech.
The President already has a big built-in advantage during State of the Union speeches, and the designated opponent already faces an uphill climb when trying to rise to his stature. Elevating Bachmann, of all people, will likely complicate this dynamic even further.
Of course, it may be that Bachmann's moment won't matter at all politically to Obama or Republicans in the long run. But there is one clear winner in all this: Bachmann herself. By granting her such a large platform, CNN is generously enabling her efforts to cement her national status as a kind of Tea Party GOP leader-in-exile, and is basically rewarding her for her stunt.
