Hot! Todd Akin

Sunday

It seems to be, first of all, from what I understand from doctors, it s really rare. If it s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down.

4:28 P.M. Senator Claire McCaskill, the Democrat whose Senate seat Mr. Akin is seeking, releases a statement denouncing his comments.

As a former prosecutor, Claire McCaskill has worked closely with hundreds of rape victims and intimately understands their trauma and pain. It is that experience that makes Akin s statements so outrageous.

4:59 P.M. Mr. Akin releases saying that he misspoke in the interview.

I believe deeply in the protection of all life, and I do not believe that harming another innocent victim is the right course of action. I also recognize that there are those who, like my opponent, support abortion, and I understand I may not have their support in this election.

Monday

EARLY MORNING Mitt Romney calls Mr. Akin s comments inexcusable.

Congressman s Akin comments on rape are insulting, inexcusable and, frankly, wrong, Mr. Romney says. Like millions of other Americans, we found them to be offensive.

10:00 A.M. Mr. Akin appears on Mike Huckabee s radio program to say he made a mistake but will not drop out of the race for the Senate.

I m not a quitter. My belief is we re going to take this thing forward, and by the grace of God, we re going to win this race.

10:30 A.M. the congressman s remarks and says they are an example of why politicians should not make health care decisions for women.

Rape is rape, and the idea that we should be parsing and qualifying and slicing what types of rape we are talking about doesn t make sense to the American people and certainly doesn t make sense to me.

10:45 A.M. Senator Scott P. Brown of Massachusetts joins other Republicans who lean on Mr. Akin to withdraw from the race.

I found Todd Akin s comments about women and rape outrageous, inappropriate and wrong. There is no place in our public discourse for this type of offensive thinking.

LATE MORNING American Crossroads, the affiliated with Karl Rove, says it is pulling advertising supporting Mr. Akin in the Missouri race.

3:30 P.M. Mr. Akin repeats his apologies and his intention to stay in the race on Sean Hannity s program , but Mr. Hannity pushes Mr. Akin to quit for the good of the party.

If this becomes the defining issue in the campaign and you lose that race, and it affects the top of the ticket in the state of Missouri, have you thought about the consequences of that?

LATE AFTERNOON Mr. Romney, in alongside his running mate, Paul D. Ryan, denounces Mr. Akin s remarks in stronger language than his campaign had used earlier.

His comments about rape were deeply offensive, and I can t defend what he said. I can t defend him.

LORI MOORE