“I’ve been willing to be a strong reformer in Washington, D.C., and take on my own party, including the bailout,” Bachmann said. She told an Associated Press reporter that she has “taken on the president” and was not running away from Bush, but she did try to tie her DFL challenger El Tinklenberg to Bush.

“He is more in line with President Bush’s policies than I am,” Bachmann said of Tinklenberg.

In 2007, video of Bachmann lingering on President Bush’s shoulder and giving him a kiss during the State of the Union Speech made waves in Minnesota media. Bachmann is done kissing Bush it seems, but she’s not done kissing presidents.

“If the presidency would somehow go to Barack Obama, I would welcome him to the 6th District as well,” Bachmann said to reporters after the debate. “As a matter of fact, I would put my hand on his shoulder and give him a kiss if he wanted to.”