Michelle Bachmann has now committed to serving only one term if elected President. To quote, “I’m a principled reformer, and my goal is to see the country turn around. I’m also committed to being a one-term president if that’s what it takes in order to turn things around, because this is not about personal ambition.”

In other words, if less of me will help in any way, I swear to leave sooner than you might fear.

VDB has never understood the logic behind offering voters a single-term Presidency. McCain thought it might take the specter of a Palin Presidency off the table, to promise a McCain era only four years long. Ditto for Bob Dole. And of course both reinforced their advanced age by so doing. There’s a highly technical term for this strategy in political science: “dumb.”

But in the case of Bachmann, and Palin before her, there seems to be a sort of half-conscious admission that along with the telegenic qualities of the candidate, there’s also something undeniably polarizing and annoying.

So Palin promised to “progress the great state of Alaska” by leaving early, and Bachmann promises to turn things around by injecting only half the possible amount of Bachmann into the national bloodstream.

Which at least gets them cheering at the Republican National Convention: Four less years! Four less years!

Pretty sweet music to VDB’s ears. Consider us sold at this point.