Call it a Valentine's Day gift from Michele Bachmann.

An interview with the St. Cloud Times' Dave Aeikens (and a big tip of the hat to him) contains this heart-shaped nugget: "I don't have substantive bills that I have passed." The Minnesota Republican might as well have added, "With love and kisses to Maureen Reed and Tarryl Clark," her DFL opponents in the 6th District race. The Q & A, published on Feb. 14, has sent Democrats over the moon. From St. Cloud to Washington, Bachmann's words have been echoed and re-echoed (if that's not redundant) throughout the Democratic buzz machine, which was already licking its chops over Bachmann's pledge not to request earmarks for her district. The interview was sent out in toto Wednesday by the Democratic National Committee. Bachmann's words came in response to a fairly straightforward question: Name three bills or amendments that you have gotten passed that are most beneficial to the people of the 6th Congressional District. Bachmann mentioned a resolution honoring people in foster care (Bachmann has herself been the mother of 23 foster children) and some work she is doing to help children in Haiti. With that she noted, fatefully perhaps, "I am in the deep minority in Congress and a fairly new freshman, so I don't have substantive bills that I have passed. I would love to…" Apart from the fact that Bachmann is now in her fourth year in Congress – hardly a freshman – she has had a few more successes than that. Perhaps her most singular achievement was helping pass a bill protecting small businesses from credit card lawsuits. And she once caught the Democrats napping with an anti-ACORN amendment that got past Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (though the Massachusetts Democrat later got the measure tossed on the House floor). If her legislative resume is thin, so too are those of most members in the minority party. But a Valentine's a valentine. Even if there is no love lost.