Remember when Mitt Romney selected Paul Ryan as his vice presidential nominee, and how Ryan's radical budget plan dominated political news coverage?
That was so last week. Since Sunday, the chattering classes have focused almost exclusively on the little-known Missouri Republican Congressman Todd Akin, who last week became his state party's nominee for U.S. Senate. Akin's recent use of the phrase "legitimate rape" when talking about abortion and pregnancy propelled a furious reaction across the board, with a number of Republican officials calling on him to step down from his race against Democrat Claire McCaskill.
As of now, Akin will do no such thing. Tuesday, on Mike Huckabee's syndicated radio show, the besieged Republican announced he'll stay in the race, accusing his critics of "overreaction."
Today, two hours before Akin's 5 p.m. withdrawal deadline, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said he was disappointed to hear the news.
"Who knows? I'm hoping that he lets someone else run. He's got a few hours to get that done. I don't think it's over yet, but it's up to him. But if it was me, I would do the right thing and step aside and let someone else who has a better chance of running run."
Priebus spoke from a Romney headquarters office, located in a strip mall off of Gandy Boulevard in South Tampa.
This article appears in Aug 23-29, 2012.