Michele Bachmann in 2011 State of the Union address

On Foreign Policy: American exceptionalism: indispensable nation of the world

I believe that we are in the early days of a history-making turn in America. Congress is responding [to Tea Party voters] and we are just starting to undo the damage that's been done the last few years. Because we believe in lower taxes. We believe in a limited view of government, and exceptionalism in America. And I believe that America is the indispensable nation of the world. Just the creation of this nation itself was a miracle. Who's to say that we can't see a miracle again?

We will push forward. We will proclaim liberty throughout the land. And we will do so because we the people will never give up on this great nation.

On Health Care: ObamaCare replaces finest system with government coverage

Obamacare mandates and penalties may even force many job creators to just stop offering health insurance altogether, unless of course yours is one of the more-than-222 privileged companies or unions that has already received a government waiver under Obamacare. In the end, unless we fully repeal Obamacare, a nation that currently enjoys the world's finest health care might be forced to rely on government-run coverage. That could have a devastating impact on our national debt for even generations to come.

The president should repeal Obamacare and support free-market solutions, like medical malpractice reform and allowing all Americans to buy any healthcare policy they like anywhere in the United States.

On Health Care: FactCheck: pre-ObamaCare system was 49th, not best in world

First, the law doesn't create a government-run system. Instead, it builds on our current system and adds a lot of new business for private insurers. Second, some studies on the quality of care worldwide have not put the US at the top. A 2010 Commonwealth Fund study ranked the US last among seven countries in health system performance. In other health outcome measures, the US ranks 49th in life expectancy, according to the CIA World Factbook, and plenty of other countries have lower rates of infant mortality.

On Jobs: $700B bailout & 9000 earmarks didn't keep unemployment at 8%

After the $700 billion bailout, the trillion-dollar stimulus, and the massive budget bill with over 9,000 earmarks, many of you implored Washington to please stop spending money that we don't have. But instead of cutting, we saw an unprecedented explosion of government spending and debt. It was unlike anything we have seen in the history of the country.

Deficits were unacceptably high under President Bush, but they exploded under President Obama's direction, growing the national debt by an astounding $3.1 trillion. What did we buy? Instead of a leaner, smarter government, we bought a bureaucracy that now tells us which light bulbs to buy, and which will put 16,500 IRS agents in charge of policing President Obama's health care bill.

On Jobs: FactCheck: bailout cost $25B, not $700B; and no IRS police

Let's take the most egregious exaggeration: "the $700 billion bailout." That figure is grossly outdated. Bachmann is referring to the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), which President Bush signed into law in 2008. As the CBO explained, the "authority for TARP was originally set at a maximum of $700 billion; however, that total was reduced to $475 billion." But the estimated net cost to taxpayers will be $25 billion after the government sells its stocks and the companies repay the money, as CBO estimated in its report.

Bachmann is flat-out wrong when she claims the need to hire "16,500 IRS agents in charge of policing Obama's health care bill." The CBO estimated in 2010 that IRS administrative costs would increase by $5 billion over 10 years. But that money will go to administering tax credit programs, not for IRS agents in charge of policing mandates.