Michele Bachmann decided to up the ante today with NBC over the intro song played for her appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Appearing on Fox News, Bachmann accepted Fallon’s personal apology published yesterday on Twitter but said that the network also owes her one for the band’s choice of “Lyin’ Ass Bitch,” not to mention the boasting that followed from the band’s drummer, Questlove. Instead of focusing on the obvious political bias at play, though, Bachmann also accused the network of sexism:

GOP candidate Michele Bachmann joined America’s Newsroom Wednesday morning and addressed the controversy surrounding her appearance on ‘Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.’ When Bachmann was introduced on the show earlier this week, Fallon’s house band, the Roots, played Fishbone’s song ‘Lyin’ A** B****.’ Fallon has since apologized. While Bachmann said she accepts the comedian’s apology, she believes that NBC should apologize as well.

Bachmann said, “If that had been Michelle Obama, who’d come out on the stage, and if that song had been played for Michelle Obama, I have no doubt that NBC would have apologized to her and likely they would have fired the drummer, or at least suspended him.”

If you’ve somehow missed this outrageous outrage, be sure to read Allahpundit’s excellent coverage from last night to get up to speed. The Hill also reports on this latest salvo in the story, as does competing network ABC, which emphasizes Bachmann’s accusation of sexism:

Rep. Michele Bachmann said NBC owed her an apology and said the offensive song the house band played during her appearance Monday on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” was sexist.

Bachmann, R- Minn., a GOP contender for president, said the network’s lack of apology was a double standard and that had Michelle Obama been on stage, the band’s drummer who chose the song would be suspended or fired. …

Bachmann attributed the lack of an apology by NBC to a “bias on the part of the Hollywood elite and sexism as well.”

She’s not alone in making this claim. Her Democratic colleague in the House, Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), also objected to a Congresswoman being given such disrespect:

The song choice has been roundly condemned by both Republicans and Democrats. Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) said she disagrees with Bachmann politically but that no woman should have to face such disrespect.

Bachmann is absolutely right that Questlove’s career would be over had he pulled that with the First Lady; there might have been a dent in the sidewalk where Questlove would have landed outside of 30 Rock after the ejection. It’s a little odd that NBC’s entertainment division didn’t get out in front of this last night to defuse the situation. The network has been touchy about the suggestion that the politics of its cable channel, MSNBC, influences how they report the news at NBC, but this makes it look as though the entire organization has overtly adopted MSNBC’s political sensibilities. Not only does Bachmann deserve an apology, it’s a low-cost way to keep their pretense of overall objectivity in place.

It’s always tricky for Republican women to claim to have been victimized by sexism, as conservatives have rightly objected to overly-oppressive political correctness that usually works to pressure the Right into silence. It’s possible to overplay this hand, but on the other hand, it’s important to call out the double standard, too. What do you think? Has Bachmann employed a good strategy by escalating this feud? Take the poll: