Karl Rove may have already apologized to Missouri Representative Todd “Illegitimate Rape” Akin for his joke about, oh, murdering him, but at least two Republicans seem to think that a simple “I’m sorry” is not enough. Up first is Newt Gingrich, who told NBC’s Meet the Press today that, “Karl Rove said some terrible things… for which he has apologized, which should remind us, people make mistakes. [But] in the age of Gabby Giffords, it is not a joke to say that a member of Congress ought to get murdered.”
Meanwhile, Fox News personality, early Akin defender, and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee made a similar point on his website yesterday:
If making a foolish remark about rape is bad, then making a joke about a United States Congressman being murdered is as bad or worse since Akin didn’t wish anyone to be raped, just spoke awkwardly and incorrectly about the likelihood of pregnancy in the event of a rape. In light of the attempted assassination of Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, the remark was disturbing.
Of course, Gingrich and Huckabee don’t have to answer to voters this election season, so they don’t have to worry much about associating themselves with the radioactive Akin. Meanwhile, two recent polls have him in a dead heat or leading Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill in the Missouri senate race, which means it’s entirely possible that he could win this thing without any GOP support at all — assuming he stays away from Karl Rove.
