Foreign-policy credentials: Bachmann currently serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

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Overview: The Tea Party favorite is great at delivering applause lines on standing with Israel and countering radical Islamism, and her membership on the House Intelligence Committee gives her a bit more credibility on international issues than candidates Rick Perry or Herman Cain have. But from Hezbollah missile sites in Cuba to al Qaeda's new toehold in Libya, her rhetoric has at times bordered on conspiracy theory and could be a turnoff to voters outside her base.

Advisors: Unclear as of yet.

On the issues:

Afghanistan/Pakistan: Bachmann told CNN in May that "we need to get out" of Afghanistan and that "it doesn't seem we're gaining any ground." Just a month later, however, she told the Weekly Standard that "we are at a point where we've got to stay the course" and that "we are making great progress." She has accused Barack Obama's administration of acting "more on political strategy than military strategy."

During Nov. 12's debate, Bachmann said that though Pakistan is a "difficult area" and "they have been housing terrorists," she does not believe in cutting all aid to the country.

Military spending: Bachmann has been tentatively supportive of defense cuts and has backed the idea of looking for savings in the defense budget by refining the military procurement process. "We have a situation where we reward those who are designing and making our weaponry based upon the length of time that they take to produce it," she said in Nov. 12's debate. Nonetheless, she has criticized the Obama administration's defense cuts, which she has at times massively exaggerated.

Immigration/borders: Bachmann has focused heavily on immigration in her campaign, describing the securing of the southern U.S. border as her "job one." She has signed a pledge pushing for the building of a fence along the entire U.S.-Mexico border -- criticizing Texas Gov. Rick Perry's opposition to such a plan -- and says she would "not do anything" to help the children of undocumented immigrants. She also favors a law barring citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants born in the United States, saying "We've got to end this anchor-baby program."

Israel/Palestine: Bachmann has taken great pains to emphasize her support for Israel, which she calls "our greatest ally," particularly when speaking to Jewish audiences. In the Nov. 12 presidential debate, she predicted that "the table is being set for worldwide nuclear war against Israel," and criticized Obama for being "more than willing to stand with Occupy Wall Street, but he hasn't been willing to stand with Israel." She strongly opposes U.N. recognition of Palestinian statehood, saying, "The Palestinians are not in a position to become a sovereign nation."

China: "With all the money we owe China, I think we might rightly say, 'Hu's your daddy!'" Bachmann said at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, referring to Chinese President Hu Jintao, while warning that the accumulation of U.S. debt would make the United States beholden to "our friendly Chinese bankers." All the same, Bachmann has expressed some odd admiration for the Chinese Communist Party's domestic policies saying, "If you look at China, they don't have food stamps.... They save for their own retirement security; they don't have AFDC [Aid to Families with Dependent Children]; they don't have the modern welfare state -- and China's growing."

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