Former congresswoman Michele Bachmann was on David Brody’s Brody Files show on CBN today and the subject of Donald Trump came up. Naturally. Look, I’ve always liked Michele Bachmann but it seems like that whenever she is given the opportunity to say something outlandish she simply can’t resist. To quote the legendary Ron White: “I had the right to remain silent, I just did not have the ability.” Who can forget her Tardasil episode in the 2011 debate. Now she’s, in my view, done it again.

This starts out harmlessly enough. She sings Trump’s praises as someone who listens to people and selects the best ideas before proceeding to do whatever the hell he wants. And she compares and contrasts that style with the autocratic style of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. This might be true. I’ve seen no evidence of it during this campaign season. Look at the clowns that make up his inner circle. Even so, let’s concede he’s better at decisionmaking than Clinton and Obama… combined even… that is still damning by faint praise.

Then Bachmann takes a side trip into Bizarro World:

“This is one thing I know from the Book of Daniel: the bottom line of the Book of Daniel is this: it teaches us that the most high God lifts up who He will and takes down who he will. And I look at this primary race that the republicans had, seventeen great candidates. I actually supported Ted Cruz. I thought he was fabulous but I also see that at the end of the day God raised up, I believe Donald Trump who was going to be the nominee in this election. I don’t think God sits things out. He’s a sovereign God. Donald Trump became our nominee. I think it’s very likely that in the day that we live in, that Donald Trump is the only individual who could win in a General Election of the seventeen who ran. Maybe I’m wrong, I don’t know but I do know that the Bible is true and that Daniel teaches the most high God which is one of God’s names is the one who lifts up who he will and takes down who He will and so that’s why my prayers and my actions and my work on a daily basis is to make sure that Donald Trump becomes, “President Trump” the first Tuesday of November this 2016.”

It is this kind of presumed Vulcan Mind Meld with the Almighty that creeps me out. Even if I assumed God had a particular favorite in the 2016 race, and I don’t, given the behavior of this nation I’d also be open to the point of view that we are being given two evil people from which we are to choose a president and that person’s role will be one of chastisement rather than inspiration. This is not unknown. Biblical Israel (including Judah) was plagued with bad kings who were all assumed, at the beginning of their reign, to have been “raised up.” For instance Jeroboam, Omri, Ahab, Rehoboam, etc. I’d also at least spending a moment considering the odds of God selecting a liar, a cheat, a slanderer, and an adulterer as his CHOSEN. Even David, at his low point, was still admirable in a lot of ways. Finally, I’m not totally convinced that God is a straight-ticket Republican.

I’m not opposed to the idea of God’s engagement in secular affairs, rather to the contrary. But I don’t believe God puts out yard signs either.