Karl Rove shared his take on recent reports on migraine headaches experienced by Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann during an appearance on Fox News on Wednesday.
The Bachmann campaign has disputed a report published online by the Daily Caller on Monday suggesting the conservative congresswoman suffers from headaches that can "incapacitate" her for days.
Bachmann spokeswoman Alice Stewart told Politico on Tuesday that claims included in the story are "bogus." She said she's never witnessed her boss experience medical symptoms as described in the report. Stewart told the Daily Caller that Bachmann experiences migraines, but said that "they’re under control with medicine."
In a statement Bachmann herself said, "Let me be abundantly clear -- my ability to function effectively has never been impeded by migraines and will not affect my ability to serve as commander in chief."
Rove suggested that the situation unfolding comes as "the first big challenge" for the Bachmann campaign. He said, however, that such scrutiny is to be expected when you're making headway in the polls, as is the case with the conservative congresswoman.
The AP reports:
Bachmann's response to the migraines report was far faster and more decisive than earlier reactions to stories about her life outside of politics. For example, when a gay activist's undercover video raised questions about practices at her husband's counseling clinic, Bachmann declined to be interviewed. Her spokeswoman issued only a brief statement.
Bachmann spokesman Doug Sachtleben said Bachmann puts matters related to her physical well-being in a different category than the other questions, which the campaign sometimes regards as distractions from her focus on economic policies and other issues it believes are of greater concern to voters.
Rove suggested, "It's going to be important for her to get her doctors out there quickly to provide medical records and to provide the reassurance that people are going to want to have that this is not a serious issue."
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