Bachmann Shifts Campaign into Overdrive

With the departure of Mike Huckabee and presidential pretender Donald Trump from the thinning Republican herd, Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann appears to be shifting her own plans for a possible 2012 candidacy into high gear.

Bachmann, who largely appeals to the same bloc of social conservatives who previously supported the former Arkansas governor, said that she had been looking at making a decision — “one way or another” — some time in June, but may now accelerate that announcement in light of Huckabee‘s decision not to enter the fray.

It sounds like she’s already made a decision.

“Our phones have been ringing off the hook,” said Bachmann, a savvy denizen of the conservative media, during an appearance on Fox News yesterday. “Our Facebook has been lit up. Our donations are pouring in, and people are saying, ‘Michele, jump in. We want you to run.’”

Saying that she was “a fighter” and has a “unique skill set and background” that sets her apart from the rest of the potential Republican field, the 54-year-old congresswoman and darling of the Tea Party movement said that grassroots support for her candidacy “has been overwhelming” and that she wouldn’t want to do this “unless we plan to be successful.”

“I clearly believe that Barack Obama can be a one-term President, that he can be beat” she concluded. “But we have to do it right. We have to be smart.”

As if her appearance on Fox News yesterday wasn’t enough to dispel any doubts about her intentions, Bachmann reportedly met with publishers in New York yesterday and today to discuss the publication of a book in September — standard fare these days for anybody seeking the Oval Office.