Ryan J. Reilly November 17, 2010, 11:50 AM

Conservative firebrand Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) leveled some heavy criticism today against the Obama administration about their handling of U.S. relations with Iran.

Bachmann, appearing at a panel hosted by a Freedom Watch USA, said that what is happening in Iran is taking place under the “permitting eye” of the State Department, which is led by Hillary Clinton.

“Their dictator, Mr. Ahmadinejad, has announced to the world their intention to bomb Israel. He directs his insulting comments to the cameras right here to our American media, right here on American soil,” Bachmann said. “How long will our current administration ignore the in-our-face preview of what is to come?”

Notably, Bachmann made no mention of Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visits to the U.S. in 2005 and 2007, while the Bush Administration was in charge of foreign policy.

Asked by TPM about what substantive differences she saw between the Bush administration’s policy on Iran and the Obama’s handling of the regime, Bachmann didn’t have much to say.

“Well, that’s not the purpose of my remarks here today,” Bachmann said. She did say that prior engagements with Iran during previous administrations were not productive.

TPM followed up to see if she any criticism specifically of the way the Bush administration handled Iran. “My remarks stand for themselves, thank you,” Bachmann said.

Former Presidential candidate Alan Keyes spoke on the panel after Bachmann’s remarks, and while he leveled harsh criticism on Obama, he also said that the Bush administration handled Iran in a similar manner.

“No American administration has seriously wished to acknowledge” the problem in the Middle East, Keyes said. The “abstraction” called “nation building” that started during the Bush administration has continued under Obama, said Keyes.

Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton, Iran, Michele Bachmann