In the midst of her barnstorming across the country for her presidential campaign, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann stopped in Minneapolis Thursday to address the American Legion's national convention in a speech that was part political pitch and part paean to conservative leaders of the past.

"The problems of this nation are today, not tomorrow and congress needs to step up solve the problems now and not push them off to the future," Bachmann said to light applause from the half-filled convention hall.

Although the speech was given in her official capacity, she repeatedly referred to what she would do "as president." The Minnesota congresswoman has appeared to more frequently veer into foreign policy matters during her campaign speeches of late and often mentions the lessons she's learned on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

During her speech Thursday, she spoke often of the leadership of former President Ronald Reagan and former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

"Both Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher contributed mightily to restoring the economic greatness of the nation during their respective time periods. We're in a similar time period and we need to have strong viable leadership to see that return again today. Both with military and with our economy, they are both tremendous examples," Bachmann said afterwards when asked if she modeled herself after Thatcher.

Bachmann, who will attend a debate at the Reagan library in California next week, refused to answer any other questions from the media after her speech, instead going behind a black curtain for a photo session with veterans.

Although a few in the crowd said that politics has no place in the Legion's convention and her speech edged into campaigning, several attendees favorably compared Bachmann's speech to the one President Obama delivered to the convention on Tuesday.

"I liked hers better. I think he [told] us what he thought we wanted to hear and that's all I'm going to say," said Cary McMasters from North Carolina.