Michele Bachmann Responds to Submissive Question

A zinger of a question to Michele Bachmann sparked boos from the crowd, and now a national firestorm. At Thursday night's GOP debate in Iowa, Bachmann was actually asked this question by a reporter:

"As President, would you be submissive to your husband?"

After an uncomfortable pause, Bachmann came back with this:

"Thank you for that question, Byron. What submission means to us, if that's what your question is, it means respect. It means respect. I respect my husband, he is a wonderful, godly man and a great father. And he respects me as his wife," she said.

The question was asked by Byron York, a columnist from the Washington Examiner, who was actually referring to a comment once made by Bachmann when she first ran for Congress in Minnesota in 2006.

"You described a moment in your life when your husband said you should study for a degree in tax law. You said you hated the idea, and then you explained, quote 'But the Lord said be submissive. Wives, you are to be submissive to your husbands.' As President, would you be submissive to your husband?" asked York.

Bachmann supporters took to Twitter: "Byron York needs an old-fashioned "knuckle sandwich" says one tweet.

"I lost all respect for Byron York last night" said another.

York defended his question on Fox and Friends today.

"Believe me, if she progresses very far in the campaign process, she would have been asked this question," said York.

The 55-year-old Bachmann, leading the pack in Iowa, continues to be a lightning rod of attention.

Joe Scarborough, a former Republican Congressman from Florida, ripped into her this morning on his MSNBC show.

"She is a joke. Her candidacy is a joke, and anybody that sits here and says she has any chance of winning anything is out of their mind," said Scarborough.