What a difference two days make, especially in the tumultuous life of Republican Congresswoman and former presidential candidate Michele Bachmann. On Wednesday, May 9, Bachmann [no relation to the article’s author] announced that she had become a citizen of Switzerland several weeks earlier, using her husband Marcus’ U.S.-Swiss dual nationality to secure fast-track naturalization. She added that the couple’s three youngest children were also now Swiss citizens. In an interview with Swiss TV, Bachmann explained that her family often visits Switzerland — in particular, the picturesque region of Thurgau, where her husband’s ancestors came from. “Our family loves it when we come because everyone brings home a big bag of chocolate, and everyone’s very happy,” she told reporters in Switzerland this week. She added that “it’s tough to find a place not to like in Switzerland.” Presumably she was referring to the fact that her newly adopted country has a solid economy, very low unemployment and – music to the ears of Tea Party leaders – no public debt. As a freshly minted Swiss citizen, Bachmann not only would have the right to live and work in Switzerland but would also — after learning one of the three official national languages (German, French or Italian) — be able to run for political office there. “A majority of Americans would be very pleased if she took herself and her family and moved permanently to Switzerland,” one American citizen, John Penn, commented on the website of Swiss Radio International (SRI) following Bachmann’s announcement. On Friday morning, however, Bachmann, who is running for re-election in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, had a change of heart. She announced on her website that she had sent a letter to the Swiss consulate requesting the withdrawal of her newly acquired citizenship. “I am, and always have been, 100% committed to the United States,” she stated. What she failed to mention was why she hadn’t considered her rock-solid allegiance to the U.S. before applying for naturalization in a foreign country. (PHOTOS: The Desks of Washington, D.C.) So what caused her to flip-flop on being … Continue reading Why Did Michele Bachmann Flip-Flop on Being a Swiss Citizen?