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Romney: Akin's ‘Inexcusable’ Comment — In a phone interview this morning, Mitt Romney told National Review Online that Representative Todd Akin's recent comment on rape is “inexcusable.” — “Congressman's Akin comments on rape are insulting, inexcusable, and, frankly, wrong,” Romney said.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Talking Points Memo, Little Green Footballs, Washington Wire, Politico, CNN, Guardian, The Fix, Ballot Box, Hit & Run, New York Magazine, Election 2012, The Daily Caller, USA Today, 2012 Decoded, ThinkProgress, First Read, Daily Kos, The PJ Tatler, Mediaite, The Caucus, The Gateway Pundit, The Hinterland Gazette and The Raw Story
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Crossroads pulls out of Missouri after Akin comments — The conservative outside-spending powerhouse Crossroads GPS is pulling its ads from the Missouri Senate race, three sources confirmed to POLITICO. — The group had originally booked a new round of ads to start Wednesday but began canceling them earlier today.
Discussion:
Ballot Box, The Daily Caller, The Fix, Washington Post, Mediaite, The New Civil Rights Movement and National Review

Scott Brown calls on Akin to drop out of Missouri Senate race — In a rare intra-party rebuke, Senator Scott Brown called on Missouri Representative Todd Akin this morning to withdraw from the US Senate race in his state, after Akin made controversial remarks on rape.

The Todd Akin mess — Ugh. — Over the weekend, GOP Rep. Todd Akin — the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Missouri — said some really, really stupid things. (Twitchy has comprehensive coverage. Click here and keep scrolling.) — There's no sugar-coating or whitewashing this.
Discussion:
Politico, Conservatives4Palin, Washington Examiner, Datechguy's Blog and Twitchy

Akin Comments Could Swing Missouri Senate Race — In my review of Senate races last week, I classified Representative Todd Akin of Missouri, who won the Republican primary earlier this month, as a very slight favorite over the Democratic incumbent in the state, Claire McCaskill.

A Canard That Will Not Die: ‘Legitimate Rape’ Doesn't Cause Pregnancy — Republicans have been getting in trouble for asserting this since at least 1988 — but anti-abortion politicians keep hauling out this old idea for a reason. — Here we go again. Trotting out the contemporary equivalent …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Firedoglake, Mother Jones, Washington Monthly, ThinkProgress, Physicians For Life, CNN, American Prospect, ECHIDNE of the snakes, The Daily Beast, Show Me Progress, Claire McCaskill, New York Times, Advocate, Salon, Shakesville, Religion Dispatches, rubber hose, No More Mister Nice Blog, Balloon Juice and Twitchy

Obama On Todd Akin: ‘Rape Is Rape’
Discussion:
Politico, AEIdeas, Josh Blackman's Blog, Talking Points Memo and The Political Carnival

Obama: ‘Rape is rape’
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs and The Hinterland Gazette

Mitt Romney Said In 2007 He Would Be “Delighted” To Sign A Bill Banning All Abortions Nationally
Discussion:
The Maddow Blog and The Hinterland Gazette


Rep. Todd Akin is wrong about rape and pregnancy, but he's not alone
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online, Washington Post, ThinkProgress, Guardian, The Daily Beast, Daily Kos, The Daily Caller, Outside the Beltway, The Raw Story and CNN

'God's Little Shield': A Short History Of The False No-Pregnancy-From-Rape Theory
Discussion:
Midwest Democracy, Los Angeles Times, Taking Note, Guardian, The Atlantic Online and Show Me Progress

Todd Akin: 'I've Not Yet Begun To Fight'
Discussion:
Stinque, thenation.com/blogs/164578 and The Reaction

DNC email ties Romney to Todd Akin
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Taylor Marsh, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Donklephant

Well, They *Should* Be Defending Akin
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Talking Points Memo and Democratic National Committee

Rep. Akin ‘rape’ comment draws widespread GOP criticism, call to exit Senate race
Discussion:
BuzzFeed, CBS News, The Political Carnival and The Raw Story

How Todd Akin And Paul Ryan Partnered To Redefine Rape
Discussion:
Todd Akin for U.S. Senate 2012, Mother Jones, rightwingwatch.org, Washington Monthly, BuzzFeed, CNN, Talking Points Memo, The Huffington Post, Left In Alabama, The Daily Beast, Shakesville, The New Civil Rights Movement, Daily Kos, Show Me Progress, The Raw Story, Balloon Juice and New York Magazine

Todd Akin, Paul Ryan and the very real war on women
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Texas on the Potomac


As a Harvard Alum, I Apologize — Yes, I know, you could imagine many sentences that would follow that headline. But here is what I have in mind right now: A tenured professor of history at my undergraduate alma mater has written a cover story for Daily Beast/Newsweek that is so careless …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Business Insider and Noahpinion, more at Mediagazer »
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Newsweek Cover Rebuttal: Paul Krugman Is Wrong — The liberal New York Times blogger objected to ‘multiple errors and misrepresentations’ in this week's Newsweek cover story on Obama's record in office. Author Niall Ferguson rebuts the charges. — You know you have hit the target …
Discussion:
Brad DeLong, Instapundit, The Glittering Eye and NewsBusters.org blogs

Unethical Commentary, Newsweek Edition — There are multiple errors and misrepresentations in Niall Ferguson's cover story in Newsweek — I guess they don't do fact-checking — but this is the one that jumped out at me. Ferguson says: … Readers are no doubt meant to interpret this as saying …

Niall Ferguson's ridiculous defense
Discussion:
The Daily Dish, Slate and NewsBusters.org blogs


POLITICO e-book: Obama campaign roiled by conflict — President Barack Obama's campaign team, celebrated four years ago for its exceptional cohesion and eyes-on-the-prize strategic focus, has been shadowed this time by a succession of political disagreements and personal rivalries that haunted the effort at the outset.
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Exclusive: GOP scolded after drinking, nudity in Israel — The FBI probed a late-night swim in the Sea of Galilee that involved drinking, numerous GOP freshmen lawmakers, top leadership staff - and one nude member of Congress, according to more than a dozen sources, including eyewitnesses.
Discussion:
Valley Fever, NewsBusters.org blogs, The Caucus, Midwest Voices, BBC, The Maddow Blog, Via Meadia, National Review, Booman Tribune, News Desk, New York Magazine, theGrio, The Fix, DCist, Erick's blog, Mediaite, Taylor Marsh, Outside the Beltway, CNN, TBogg, Wonkette, Daniel W. Drezner, ABCNEWS, Washington Post, KNXV, Joe. My. God., Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, NewsBusters.org, The Moderate Voice and Stinque
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Condoleezza Rice among the first female members at Augusta National Golf Club — The site of the Masters tournament has granted entry to female members for the first time in its 80-year history. — Augusta National Golf Club has admitted female members for the first time in its history …
Discussion:
Associated Press, The Moderate Voice and CNN
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An Unserious Man — Mitt Romney's choice of Paul Ryan as his running mate led to a wave of pundit accolades. Now, declared writer after writer, we're going to have a real debate about the nation's fiscal future. This was predictable: never mind the Tea Party, Mr. Ryan's true constituency …
Discussion:
Prairie Weather, AEIdeas and The Hinterland Gazette


Former union boss at Occupy event: Our goal is to ‘overthrow the capitalist system and build communism’ [VIDEO] — Former Amalgamated Transit Union local 689 president Mike Golash, now an “Occupy” movement organizer, was caught on tape Sunday revealing his political goals …
Discussion:
protein wisdom, The Other McCain, Weasel Zippers, The Gateway Pundit and The Lonely Conservative


‘Top Gun’ director Tony Scott jumps to his death from L.A. bridge — Tony Scott, a director known for ‘Top Gun’ and a producer, jumped off the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro without hesitation, witnesses tell police. — Director and producer Tony Scott jumped to his death …
Discussion:
L.A. NOW, Deadline.com and New York Times