Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO), his party\u2019s candidate in the Missouri Senate race to unseat Democrat Claire McCaskill, has quickly attempted to retract his comment that in cases of \u201clegitimate rape,\u201d women have biological defenses against pregnancy. \u201cI misspoke,\u201d he claimed in a carefully crafted statement. After all, cleaning up the mess after the candidate not misspoke, but spoke his mind on television, is what campaigns do to pretend that the candidate is not a loon.<\/p>\n
The strategy is not unlike the one used after the controversy Akin ignited last year when he attacked NBC for omitting \u201cunder God\u201d from the pledge of allegiance in a broadcast. Accusing the network of being liberal, Akin told Tony Perkins on Family Research Council\u2019s radio program, \u201cat the heart of liberalism really is a hatred for God and a belief that government should replace God. And so they\u2019ve had a long history of not being at all favorable toward many of things that have been such a blessing to our country.\u201d Akin later tried to claim, \u201cMy statement during my radio interview was directed at the political movement, Liberalism not at any specific individual. If my statement gave a different impression, I offer my apologies.\u201d<\/p>\n