Republicans On The Defensive Over a Senatorial Candidate's Comments on Rape

Missouri Congressman Todd Akin has sparked a furor by suggesting women's bodies can fight off pregnancy following "a legitimate rape," and that conception is rare in such cases.

Published

9 months ago

Categories

US, US Politics

Topics

United States, Middle East & North Africa

People

Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, Todd Akin

Places

United States of America, Israel, Egypt, Washington, Missouri

Transcript

in the u s republicans are on the defensive over a couple of incidents a republican senatorial candidate triggered a firestorm of criticism after controversial comments about women's bodies and an fbi probe reveals that the republican delegation got it a bit of trouble on a trip to israel last year season is following all of that from washington she joins me live so what is all the controversy about well let's start with target and he's running for the senate for the republicans in missouri and we have to tell you republicans really want to win a seat they spent a lot of money they want to take down a prominent democrats but it's going gonna be a lot harder now after it's gone and is that we behave and what about the heat back in an interview this weekend was talking defending his position at all and i against abortion even in instances of rape he said that doctors have told him that those cases very rarely i believe two pregnancies anyway listen this is a language he uses he talked about this it seems to me first of all from what i understand from doctors and that's really rare if it's a legitimate right all of the female body has a ways to try to shut down the whole thing down so you can imagine the reaction to that a legitimate reason break what is that it's our right and romney the campaign including a statement distancing themselves from a it and he's apologized so i should say saying they used the wrong words by i would be wrong and obama are rising and romney campaign has said that it's not an administration run by mitt romney would not try to prevent abortions and that in instances of rape and now let me tell you about something completely different a group of politicians that have embarrassed their party the republicans over some questionable behavior they went into israel the whole legal and highly symbolic for many of i our religious republicans and about a story of emerging this is a year ago when the story emerging today of a group of congressmen and some of their staffers began bowling in the sea of galilee in one congressman is in egypt i mean he has apologized for the it has left republicans to embarrass and on the defensive about questionable behavior the season there's little drama as well in the democratic camp following the release of the the book about obama's campaign team warned the government well the book is that he's quite popular at least in political circles here in the united states and the reason you went out today that that is pretty tough on obama his team is by glenn thrush and it's called obama his last stand and it paints a portrait i i'll follow a lot of infighting among obama is a campaign team in that battle is between pressure and tension on the uh his re election fight but it also would be said different portrait of barack obama and many other americans have come to expect saying that he is a fiercely competitive that he is prepared to fight very very tough even while he talks a poetically about changing the mission is to hold them and nature of politics in the united states and you know look at another thing i want to bring your attention that just shows how this is not two thousand in eight this is not at her role in cold print change i'll fight for barack obama looked at the cover of newsweek this week it's just out today and this is the cover hit the road for iraq why we need a new president is now it's written by republicans but it doesn't go to show you how old this is a really tough slog for president obama and this campaign and to have both sides have a lot on their plate a lot of damage control