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Bachmann Points To Foster Parenting -- On Her Terms

STILLWATER, Minn. (AP) -- From her first campaign to her latest, Republican presidential contender Michele Bachmann has used her time as a foster parent to bolster her image as a family-focused Christian driven by compassion and social conviction.

Yet the Minnesota congresswoman is careful about how many details she provides when she talks about the experience.

And now, with the national spotlight shining bright, she claims that her family is off limits.

Bachmann talks about foster parenting in mostly abstract terms and never mentions the children by name. The government considers their identities protected.

Bachmann portrays her entry into foster parenting as an act of faith. She and her husband mainly took in teenaged girls with eating disorders. She entered politics around the time their license to care for at-risk kids expired.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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