WASHINGTON -- In the summer of 2011 , then-Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) had improbably started to gain traction in her run for the Republican nomination for president. Shed been one of the tea partys fiercest champions, and seemed poised to cross over into the mainstream.

When Newsweek called, asking to do a cover story, Bachmann didnt hesitate. After all, it would be a coup to be featured by a magazine found in every dentists office in America.

All anyone remembers about that story now is Newsweek's cover photo. Or, more specifically, how the shot captured Bachmanns eyes: startled and wide as if shed finally seen the light.