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BY BLAKE HANSON

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Michele Bachmann’s showing her constitutional conservative roots -- suggesting what some are calling a radical change in education. Here she is at a GOP candidates’ forum in South Carolina Monday.

“The Constitution does not specifically enumerate nor does it give to the federal government the role and duty to superintend over the Constitution. That has historically been held by the parents, and by local communites, and by state government.”

Bachmann’s suggestion landed her in late-night monologue land, yet again.

LENO: “Michele Bachmann said if she’s elected President she’d consider eliminating the Department of Education.”
[Laughter]
RICKEY: “What?”
LENO: “Yeah, that’s what she said. She said if the Department of Education is eliminated, the states could do a gooder job of teaching children.”

But a blogger for the libertarian think tank Cato Institute jumps to Bachmann’s defense, writing...

“The Department of Education, along with so much else the federal government does, is unconstitutional. The only things that are constitutional for it to do are those things enumerated in the Constitution. Hence, if something is not listed there, it cannot do that something, period. That’s the whole point of enumerated powers.”

The Congresswoman isn’t the first to make this suggestion-- she actually finds herself in good ol’ Republican company -- President Reagan tried to nix the Department of Education when he was office.

CNN asks Reagan’s former Secretary of Education if Bachmann’s idea is legit.

“I don’t think it’s going to happen, Kyra. Philosophically and historically Michele Bachmann’s right and one might also point out that our scores were better as a country before there was a Department of Education. But you’d still see some federal oversight, there’s obviously still federal laws, civil rights laws.”

Now Bachmann’s not coming out of left-- er-- right field on this one.
The International Business Times reports she does have some scholastic experience.

“Bachmann has experience in the matter, having helped to found a charter school in Stillwater, Minn. and subsequently resigning amidst complaints that the school violated state regulations by pushing a religiously oriented curriculum.”


The latest NBC/Wall Street Journal poll has Bachmann winning 8 percent of a hypothetical 2012 Republican primary ballot.
It’s just half of the 16 percent she received in July.
 

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