For those of you who may not have heard, Indiana Senatorial Candidate Richard Mourdock said this during last night's debate:
"....I struggled with it myself for a long time, but I came to realize life is that gift from God, and I think even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape that it is something that God intended to happen."
Mr. Mourdock wants to impose this point of view on the women of America for this generation and for generations to come. He isn't really so different in his position from most Republicans policy-wise, but when he expresses it in this way, which most GOP politicians are able to avoid, it's shocking, distressing, and off-putting to the vast majority of Americans, particularly American women.
The funny thing is that presidential candidate Mitt Romney has endorsed Mr. Mourdock enthusiastically, so much so that he made a TV ad on Mourdock's behalf, the only candidate he has done this for.
What should Mr. Romney do now?
According to former N.J. (Republican) Gov. and Former EPA administrator Christine Todd Whitman:
"Mourdock's comments damage all Republicans and especially Romney as the fight for the woman's vote intensifies. This could be a defining moment for Romney and he should immediately denounce both Mourdock and the comment."
Governor Whitman is correct. Mourdock's statement is offensive and disgusting and has no place in American political discourse. He's actually taking Todd Akin's remark about "legitimate rape" one step further by somehow anointing a horrific act of violence and its consequence with "God's blessing." The remarks are sickening and the man is a disgrace.
But alas, Governor Romney refuses to distance himself from Mr. Mourdock by pulling his endorsement or even by having the ad he made for him taken down.
Admittedly, Romney's in a tough spot here. Governor Whitman is not only speaking from a point of view of moral outrage, but also practical politics. Romney's failing to let go of his embrace of Mourdock will do damage to his campaign as the fight for women's votes intensifies.
But on the other hand, Romney's doing the right thing here could do further damage to Mourdock's campaign, an the Republicans want very much to retain this seat. And there's the old Mitt bugaboo about upsetting his base. Playing "Moderate Mitt" in debates is one thing, but this one may be too much for the religious folk to take.
What will he do here? He'll play to the base because he's a coward who has never understood the value of doing the right thing.
And in the end, that above all is why he'll lose this race, because he has no moral fiber, and more people than not can see him for the spineless empty suit he is.