Bachmann has her ‘Waterloo’ -- minus John Waynes

Rep. Michele Bachmann’s presidential campaign is running its first TV spot in Iowa, one in which the Minnesota conservative portrays herself as a unifying force within the GOP.

The brief ad, dubbed “Waterloo,” hits all of the candidate’s favorite themes: that she was born in Iowa, that she’s a mother and a foster parent, a former tax attorney, and a fiscal conservative. Aiming directly for “tea party” voters, Bachmann notes her opposition to the Wall Street bailout and the Democratic stimulus bill. (Watch the video below.)

She also vows in the spot that, as a member of the House, she will not vote to raise the debt ceiling, apparently regardless of whether a deal is struck between Speaker John Boehner and President Obama. (That also underscores the problems Boehner may have in trying to sell any agreement to similarly minded members of his caucus.)

Waterloo, Iowa, is where Bachmann chose to launch her campaign last month; she was born there. But she also made news there when she mistakenly said that film legend John Wayne was from Waterloo. Detractors quickly pointed out that serial killer John Wayne Gacy had lived in the Iowa community, not the movie star.

No mention of either John Wayne in the “Waterloo” ad, however. But in the spot, Bachmann calls herself “the unifying choice” for Iowa caucus-goers, and among the GOP field, she may have the best chance, at least at the moment, to draw support from two significant blocs of the state electorate: evangelicals and fiscal hawks.

Here’s the ad: