Jamie Novogrod / NBC News

As her mother, Jean LaFave, looks on, Michele Bachmann signs books at Barnes & Noble in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa -- In a continuing back and forth over Newt Gingrich’s immigration policy, Michele Bachmann criticized the former House speaker Saturday over a letter he co-signed in 2004 in support of President George W. Bush's immigration initiative.

Bachmann's campaign staff handed copies of the letter to the media Saturday morning before an event marking the release of Bachmann's new book, "Core of Conviction," at the Radisson Hotel in Davenport.

“He has a long history of supporting amnesty,” Bachmann told reporters of Gingrich, “and that’s not something that people in Iowa are supporting.”

The letter, originally printed in the Wall Street Journal in February 2004, was sent to the newspaper by the National Foundation for American Policy, a conservative think tank.  Its signers include Gingrich, Jack Kemp, Grover Norquist, and others. Ed Goeas, Bachmann's former campaign pollster, also signed the letter.

Asked by NBC whether Goeas’ signature blunted her attack, Bachmann said, “I did not know him at the time that he signed that letter, nor does he share my opinion.” Goeas left the Bachmann campaign in early October.

The letter supported Bush’s effort to launch a temporary worker program. "We applaud the president and believe his approach holds great promise to reduce illegal immigration and establish a humane, orderly, and economically sensible approach to migration," the letter reads.

Gingrich has taken fire from Bachmann and other candidates, including Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, since Tuesday's CNN debate in Washington, where he called for a "humane" immigration policy for illegal immigrants "who have children and grandchildren, who are members of the community."

Bachmann’s charge that the policy amounts to "amnesty" is being met with increasingly sharp language by the Gingrich campaign.

"Either Michele Bachmann can't get her facts straight on understanding immigration reform, or she is intentionally lying," Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond told NBC News on Saturday while the former speaker was campaigning in Florida.

Gingrich is proposing that longtime illegal residents leave the country and apply for citizenship. He told reporters Saturday he doesn't recall the 2004 letter.

“I have a deep history of supporting efforts to solve the problem of illegal immigration, going back to 1986,” Gingrich told reporters following a book-signing event of his own, citing legislation passed during the Reagan administration.

Despite her attacks, Bachmann spent part of Saturday on the defensive, knocking down comparisons – first noted in Politico and on the conservative website Townhall  –  between Gingrich’s outlook on immigration and remarks she made at the Sept. 7 MSNBC-Politico debate.

At that debate, Bachmann was asked how she would handle the more than 11 million people living in the United States without documentation.  "It depends upon where they live, how long they have been here, if they have a criminal record," Bachmann said.

Asked Saturday how those remarks diverge from Gingrich's position, Bachmann insisted she was speaking about determining which illegal immigrants should be forced to leave the country first. "It is 180 degrees different from where the speaker stands. Because what I'm talking about is order of deportation," Bachmann said.

The book tour Saturday took Bachmann from Davenport, to a Barnes & Noble store in Cedar Rapids, and to a Christian store in West Des Moines.

Bachmann drew about 150 people to each of her second and third stops. But her Davenport visit drew only about a dozen people and will be rescheduled, according to her campaign, which blamed the low turnout on a planning error by the book’s publisher, a conservative imprint of Penguin Books.

Bachmann’s 80-year-old mother joined her at the Cedar Rapids event, beaming as her daughter signed books. Sunday, Bachmann continues her book tour, making stops through northwest Iowa.

NBC's Alex Moe contributed to this report.

NEW YORK -- On Sunday, Michele Bachmann urged the Pentagon to develop a war plan “immediately” that would evaluate ways to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

"We must accelerate our covert operations and our cyber operations in Iran, and order ... the CIA director to take all means necessary to stop Iran from getting the bomb before it’s too late," said Bachmann, a member of the House Intelligence Committee.
 
“And the Pentagon should prepare a war plan immediately to tell us what to do to prevent Iran from gaining those nuclear weapons,” she continued.

But these remarks, which came during a speech at the annual dinner of the Zionist Organization of America, a pro-Israel group, stopped short of calling for immediate military action against Iran. 

“I do not take lightly the prospect of committing the United States troop to stop Iran,” Bachmann said. “Only a fool would ever wish for war."

Bachmann repeated that theme during a press conference following her speech, telling reporters it would be “foolish” to rush into war, before adding,: “We must be prepared to do whatever is necessary to stop Iran. They are the threat to Israel, they are the threat to the United States.”

Iran's nuclear program, though long a concern inside conservative circles, is again in the spotlight since a United Nations report released earlier this month showed Iran has made further steps toward achieving a nuclear weapon.

Finding a medium between “wishing for war” and being “prepared” could mark a new way Bachmann will talk about managing the threat -– allowing her to strike hawkish and practical tones in equal measure on the issue that has become the centerpiece of her foreign policy agenda.

It also sets her apart from Republican opponents who draw a harder line on both sides of the issue. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum has called for a joint American-Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Herman Cain has said he doesn’t support the idea of military action against Iran.

Bachmann called on Sunday for a variety of measures against Iran that stop short of military action, including public support for Iranian dissidents, a naval blockade, and a regime of “crushing” economic sanctions that would seek Russia and China’s aid in shutting down Iran’s central bank. (Both countries have financial relationships with Iran.)

Election politics also made a brief appearance Sunday, when Bachmann was forced to address her work as a young lawyer at the IRS.

ZOA’s president, Morton Klein, had woven that biographical detail into his introduction, setting off boos in the crowd.

“To everyone that was mortified in this room to learn that I was a tax lawyer and worked with –- on behalf of –- the IRS,” Bachmann said, “I actually wore a white hat and was trying to be an advocate for lower taxes in that position, not for higher taxes. “

It was a unique reference to her former employer, which Bachmann often eludes mentioning by describing herself as a “former federal tax attorney.”

Bachmann wasn’t the only high-profile speaker Sunday. Glenn Beck received a “defender of Israel” award from the group, delivering a speech that included teary tributes to leaders of the resistance against the Nazis, and a sweeping reproach of the American political left.

“I’ve said George Soros is no friend to Israel,” Beck said, referring to the prominent liberal philanthropist who is Jewish. “Let me add to it: neither is this administration.”

From NBC’s Alex Moe & Andrew Rafferty

ALTOONA, Iowa – After an emotional roundtable discussion, six Republican presidential candidates put on their party hats and headed to Adventureland to kiss the ring of the don of Iowa politics.

Cliff Owen/AP

Iowa Gov. Terry Brandstad takes part in the Health and Human Services Committee meeting at the National Governors Association winter meeting in Washington, Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Gov. Terry Brandstad celebrated his 65th birthday tonight, and five candidates – Rick Perry, Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul – stopped by to celebrate and address the nearly 300-person crowd.

Newt Gingrich was the only candidate to attend the Family Leader Thanksgiving Forum but not speak at the birthday party.

The former House speaker did show up late, however, and apologized to the governor for his tardiness, explaining he needed to fulfill an obligation he made with Fox News.

Perry, the Texas governor, was first to take the stage at Adventureland Palace Theater just outside Des Moines.

With his wife, Anita Perry, by his side, he joked, "We just got through with a little debate downtown and she asked me -- she said, ‘Where do you want to go,’ and I said, ‘Let's go to Adventureland.’”

Cupcakes bearing the Iowa governor’s likeness – with a special emphasis on his signature mustache -- were served up as dessert.

Bachmann, the Republican Minnesota represtnative, said, "I bought my own mustache and so because there's cameras here, I won't put it on. But just to let you know, I'm for you Terry Branstad, happy birthday!"

The candidates weaved between doling out Brandstad birthday wishes and giving abridged versions of their stump speeches in front of a crowd filled with many likely caucus voters.

The two noticeable candidate absences tonight were Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman. Speaking to reporters, Brandstad made it clear he did not approve of Romney missing out on his party.

“I think they made a mistake by not being here,” said Brandstad of Romney’s absence.  “I hope they'll spend a lot more time between now and January 3rd here is Iowa.” (Romney plans to be there Wednesday.)

Still, the night was not all politics and at times resembled a roast of the longest serving governor in Iowa history.

"I was a little surprised,” Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, joked, “last I heard he was 39 and now all of a sudden he is 65. How did that work out?”

Charlie Neibergall/AP

Republican presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., greets audience members Saturday after the Thanksgiving Family Forum sponsored by The Family Leader in Des Moines, Iowa.

By NBC's James Novogrod and Carrie Dann

Although the Family Leader Thanksgiving forum held on Saturday night had far less inter-candidate fireworks than a typical Turkey Day family reunion, Rep. Michele Bachmann launched an attack even before the candidates walked off stage.

The Bachmann campaign sent an email skewering the newly surging Newt Gingrich’s record on abortion.

“Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has failed to uphold a consistently pro-life stance throughout his career in public life,” the email reads. Team Bachmann accuses Gingrich of being "open to watering down the Republican Party's commitment to the inalienable right to life."

The candidate told reporters that she only intends to draw a contrast with other candidates' "surprises."

"What we're trying to do is underscore again the fact that there are differences in the candidates and you won't find surprises with me," she said.

Asked after the forum to comment, Gingrich appeared incredulous.

"I have no idea what she's talking about," he said, later adding "I'm not going to comment randomly on emails I haven't read."

The attack from Bachmann is the second time this week that she has targeted Gingrich. She honed in on reports about his consulting for Freddie Mac earlier this week, telling voters she "wasn't shilling" for the mortgage giant before the financial crisis.

By NBC's Carrie Dann

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Ron Paul, a favorite of libertarian-leaning Republicans and young activists, has won another straw poll.

Paul received 37 percent of the vote in the Values Voter Summit straw poll Saturday at the annual gathering of conservative religious voters in Washington.

Pizza magnate Herman Cain, who gave a rousing speech at the confab yesterday, came in second with 23 percent. Former Sen. Rick Santorum, who - along with his family - spent additional hours milling around the conference grounds to speak one-on-one with voters, won 16 percent.

Tied at fourth place were Gov. Rick Perry and Rep. Michele Bachmann, who each received eight percent of the vote.

Gov. Mitt Romney, the presumed national frontrunner in the race whose Mormon faith had been conspicuously raised by two of the event's evangelical speakers, came in fifth at four percent of the vote.

Straw pollers also asked attendees at the conference who they favor as their eventual nominee's vice presidential pick. The top four in that category were: Bachmann, Cain, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, and Santorum.

John Wayne mix-ups aside, Rep. Michele Bachmann has long been criticized by opponents who say she uses questionably-sourced data and overly bombastic language in her claims.

This morning on The Daily Rundown, Politifact.com’s Bill Adair fact-checked several of Bachmann’s recent claims.

Check out the Truth-O-Meter results here: