Bachmann first laid out her agenda -- cutting taxes and killing President Obama's health reform bill -- at considerable length.
When Specter tried to counter, Bachmann, darling of the Tea Party movement, kept on talking, which didn't sit well with the one-time Philadelphia DA, who is a stickler for politeness and protocol.
"I'm going to treat you like a lady," Mr. Specter shot back. "Now act like one."
Ms. Bachmann replied, "I am a lady."
Things went on along this line for a while -- with Specter later asking Bachmann to "act like a lady," according to the [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]'s Daniel Malloy.Bachmann is hardly a beloved figure in Democratic circles. But how many liberal women, whom Specter badly needs to defeat front-running Paul Toomey, would appreciate being told to "act like a lady" [by] a male debate partner?
I, for one, would LOVE to ask Arlen Specter just how he thinks a lady should act...