Michele Bachmann's plan for debt ceiling: Be afraid, be very afraid

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Washington Post's Ezra Klein lays out the scary possibilities, as outlined by the Minnesota congresswoman (and possible presidential candidate):

Bachmann's is presented as a sober plan for repaying our debts, but it's actually pure fantasy. The chain of events she's proposing looks, in practice, something like this: She and a group of hard-core conservatives in the House block an increase in the debt ceiling that both the political system and the financial system think to be crucial. So here already the markets are terrified. In her explanation of events, the hijacking of American economic policy by a committed band of ideological extremists doesn't bother the markets because of the Bachmann and Co. promise to pay investors back first, even if that means not sending out Social Security checks. But that's not credible. Rather, it would be evident that the American political system had completely broken down. We'd be in uncharted, uncertain economic territory.

By the way, check out Bachmann's interview this week on "Good Morning America." Notice how her manner is so much softer and agreeable for a national audience than it is for those crazy Tea Party hootenannies.