Palin, Minnesota official blast congressional Democrats

MINNEAPOLIS - Two of the country's most popular Republicans teamed up Wednesday for a rollicking re-election rally, in which Minn. Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin blasted congressional Democrats and Bachmann called President Barack Obama weak on national security and doomed to a single term.

Bachmann, who is bidding for a third term in the House, never mentioned her Democratic opponents. Instead, she delighted the crowd with mocking references to terrorism suspects being read Miranda rights and sharp criticism of Obama for limiting when the United States could use nuclear weapons.

"Two years from now, Obama will be a one-term president," Bachmann said to huge cheers, "because we are going to elect the boldest, strongest, most courageous, rock-ribbed constitutional conservative president this country has ever seen."

Several thousand people came to the Minneapolis Convention Center to see Bachmann and Palin, both of whom have been embraced by "tea party" conservatives for their fiery populism and established ability to rile Democrats.

Bachmann and Palin stepped onto the stage together, and when it was Palin's turn to take the lectern, she called Bachmann "inspiring."

She delivered a familiar indictment of Obama and the Democrat-led Congress while praising Bachmann and other female Republican leaders, whom she likened to the pink elephant in a 2008 GOP campaign button.

"Someone had better tell Washington that pink elephant is on the move," Palin said, "and Michelle is leading the stampede."

Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, said the health-care law signed last month by Obama is "a new entitlement program that breaks the bank and really violates the U.S. Constitution."

Taking the opposite tack from the White House, which believes the law will become more popular as more Americans learn about it, Palin said the more people learn, "the more ticked off you're going to be."