Michele Bachmann casts herself as the ‘anti-Hillary’

Rep. Michele Bachmann is due to leave office in January, but she’s hardly headed back to the life of Minnesota homemaker.

Rather, she’s vigorously seeking out media and speaking engagements to showcase her foreign policy expertise — just in time for the 2016 election season, Politico reported.

She’s also taking pains to paint herself as the “anti-Hillary.”

“I don’t know how you’ll see me, but I would like to be in a situation where I can offer an opposing viewpoint to Hillary Clinton,” she told Politico. “There isn’t a dime’s worth of difference between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. She will continue foursquare … and put forward Barack Obama’s policy in a third and fourth term.”

Mrs. Bachmann said the one issue that could keep Mrs. Clinton from assuming the high executive office would be the “deplorable action on Benghazi,” she told Politico.

But supporters of the former first lady are already gearing up a defense.

“Michele Bachmann lecturing on foreign policy makes Sarah Palin sound like Dean Acheson,” said Adrienne Elrod, a spokeswoman for the pro-Clinton group Correct the Record, Politico reported. “Hillary Clinton is one of the most admired and respected public figures throughout the world, who continues to prove her knowledge and intellect on foreign policy matters. There is simply no comparison.”

Still, Mrs. Bachmann’s camp cautions against underestimating her intellect. She’s working with former presidential contender Rick Santorum and Family Research Council president Tony Perkins to sharpen her speaking skills — and simultaneously soften her public image — and was one of the main attractions at the recent Values Voters Summit in Washington, D.C.