Minnesota representative and Republican presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann has declared her husband and children off limits to media scrutiny.

"I am extremely proud of my husband, I have tremendous respect for him. I am running for the presidency of the United States. My husband is not running for the presidency. Neither are my children, neither is our business, neither are our foster children," Bachmann said at a National Press Club luncheon on Thursday.

This comes as no surprise given the unwanted attention the counseling clinic they own has received and the whispers that her husband may be a closeted homosexual. But it also begs the question of why Bachmann didn’t think that Michelle Obama deserved the same respect during the 2008 presidential campaign cycle.

Back then, Bachmann felt perfectly comfortable calling the future first lady “un-American” when Obama said, “For the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback," in response to her husband’s campaign and the desire of thousands of Americans to participate in the political process, some for the first time.

"Remember, it was Michelle Obama who said she is only recently proud of her country, and so, these are very anti-American views," she said in an interview on MSNBC. "That's not the way that most Americans feel about our country. Most Americans are wild about America and they are very concerned to have a president who doesn't share those values."

And, earlier this year, in an appearance on The Laura Ingraham Show, Bachmann accused the first lady of trying to implement a “nanny state” because of her efforts to encourage women to breastfeed their children to prevent early childhood obesity.

“To think that government has to go out and buy my breast pump for my babies? You wanna talk about the nanny state, I think you just got a new definition,” she said.

Unfortunately for Bachmann, she can’t have it both ways. Running for president means both she and her husband will be open to scrutiny. It also means that “titanium spine” she’s so proud of will come in very handy.

(Photo: Steve Pope/Getty Images)