As criticism mounts over Rep. Michele Bachmann's HPV vaccine story, the Minnesota Republican is trying to focus the attention back on Texas Gov. Rick Perry with a new Web video.
Bachmann hit Perry at Monday's debate for his executive order that required sixth-grade girls to receive the vaccine for HPV, a sexually-transmitted disease that can cause cervical cancer. She accused him of "crony capitalism" because of his ties to Merck, a drug company making the vaccine.
But that point has been largely lost in the days since, because after the debate Bachmann said that a woman had told her the HPV vaccine had caused her daughter's mental retardation. The claim has sparked widespread outcry: the medical community declared there was "no scientific validity" to her statement and even conservatives like Rush Limbaugh blasted her.
In Bachmann's new video, a low-tech, single-shot clip where she's speaking directly into the camera, the Minnesota Republican doesn't mention HPV by name. Instead, she refers to the vaccine as an "injection for sexually transmitted diseases."
Bachmann re-raises her "crony capitalism" charge in the video and says she opposes "Perrycare."
"Whether it's 'Obamacare' or whether it's 'Perrycare,' I oppose any governor or president who mandates a family's health care choices, and in turn violates the rights of parents on these issues," Bachmann says.
Watch the full video here:
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