Anytime someone says something as toe-curlingly moronic as Rep. Todd "Legitimate Rape" Akin did, it's best for everyone in the vicinity to just acknowledge the moron's stupidity and move on. What you should never try to do is explain away said person's statement or try and translate the stupidity into something rational. Doing so is called "turd polishing," and it just makes an even bigger mess.

Yesterday it was Mike Huckabee, who reminded us that rape has created a lot of great people. Today it's Missouri GOP Committeewoman Sharon Barnes, who told a New York Times reporter the following:

Ms. Barnes echoed Mr. Akin's statement that very few rapes resulted in pregnancy, adding that "at that point, if God has chosen to bless this person with a life, you don't kill it." "That's more what I believe he was trying to state," she said. "He just phrased it badly."

And you phrased it wonderfully, Sharon. That's a shiny turd.