On Tuesday, I excerpted Maureen Dowd's excellent column rebuking the brazen Republican hypocrisy on the Todd Akin matter.



Other Republicans are trying to cover up their true identity to get elected. Even as party leaders attempted to lock the crazy uncle in the attic in Missouri, they were doing their own crazy thing down in Tampa, Fla., by reiterating language in their platform calling for a no-exceptions Constitutional amendment outlawing abortion, even in cases of rape, incest and threat to the life of the mother.

Is there anyone out there who doesn't think the Republicans are only concerned about winning control of the Senate and saving Ryan-Romney? Does anyone believe they actually want to change their stripes and confront their teahadist base?

If Dr. Willke's secret meetings and public partnership with the Republican ticket, Gov. Ultrasound's praise of the platform committee or, ya know, the party's actual record of attacking Planned Parenthood, contraception and abortion rights isn't enough to make voters cynical, then this would seem to be the final straw:



Persistent chatter among Missouri political operatives is the possibility that Akin cuts a deal with Ann Wagner — who is running for the House seat he is vacating. The idea: allow Akin to continue serving in Congress so he can keep his seat and give Wagner a chance to take on McCaskill. Wagner didn’t rule out the possibility of a Senate run in a Thursday statement that criticized Akin’s comments.

So, according to Republicans, Rep. Akin's comments were so "outrageous" and "offensive" that he had disqualified himself from serving in the United States Senate, but if he yields to the party's desire for power, then they see no problem in his continued presence on the House Science and Technology Committee.

That prospect highlights the failure of the Republican party to adequately address the Akin Menace from the beginning. How many Republicans have demanded that Akin resign from Congress? A big, fat zero. Instead, it's all about the politics of defeating Claire McCaskill and President Obama in order to implement a medieval anti-woman agenda.

The Republicans have no shame. The voters should have no mercy.