Michele Bachmann Hires Basher Ed Rollins

And Rollins immediately begins bashing Governor Sarah Palin who is not even a declared candidate in the primary race.

Professor William Jacobson lays it out at Le-gal In-sur-rec_tion.

Sure enough, Rollins having just been hired by Bachmann, is at it again (via Ben Smith):

Michele Bachmann's new top consultant, Ed Rollins, began his tenure with scathing criticism of potential Bachmann rival Sarah Palin.

"Sarah has not been serious over the last couple of years," Rollins told Brian Kilmeade on his radio show, Kilmeade and Friends. "She got the Vice Presidential thing handed to her, she didn't go to work in the sense of trying to gain more substance, she gave up her governorship."

He suggested that the contrast would favor Bachmann.
"Michele Bachmann and others [have] worked hard, she has been a leader of the Tea Party which is a very important element here, she has been an attorney, she has done important things with family values."

"She is probably the best communicator [in the GOP field] now that Mike Huckabee's not in there," he said.

Rollins has long been skeptical of Palin, but his new role with Bachmann suggests that criticism will become part of her campaign, though she has publicly praised the former Alaska governor

. . .
Update: Ed Rollins is on the Chris Matthews show as this update is being written, and is going out of his way to belittle Palin, including saying that Palin ""doesn't matter if she doesn't run." Rollins also jumped on the Paul Revere controversy. According to Rollins, Palin "has the movie star quality but it doesn't go very far."

Rollins is not only a basher, he's erratic (ran the Ross Perot campaign for awhile). His appointment is not a good sign for Congresswoman Bachmann's ability to appoint quality people to high administrative offices, not to mention the Supreme Court.

Compare that to Palin and her staff. They have only done policy evaluation of other Republicans and that only when directly asked. Palin even went so far as to welcome Bachmann to the primary race and praise Mitt Romney in her interview with Chris Wallace on Sunday.

"WALLACE: . . . Is there room in the race for the two of you [Palin and Bachmann] or would you split the same base of voters?

"PALIN: No, we have differences, too. I have many years of executive experience, too. And she has her strengths that she will to add to the race. But, no, yes, there's certainly room. The more, the merrier. More competition, the better."
. . .
"WALLACE: There are of people that think you love stepping on [Romney's] toes.

"PALIN: Not his. I'll step on -- I'll step on the toes of those who are making poor decisions for our nation. I have faith that Mitt Romney is one who desires to make good, sound, fiscally responsible decisions for our nation. I don't have a problem stepping on toes of those, though, who keep screwing up."

For Bachmann to choose a man who immediately begins bashing Sarah Palin to head the Bachmann campaign is a bad blunder. I say this as someone who really, really likes Michele Bachmann and admires her for standing firm when the liberal howitzers fire away at her.