Craziest Republican of the Day: Richard Mourdock

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Raped? Pregnant? Hey, there's a silver lining. It's God's will!

It's just not Todd Akin. Republicans generally seem to have some seriously disgusting thoughts about rape. Here's the latest -- another shot in the Republican war on women but also an assault on decency and justice:

Indiana Republican Senate candidate Richard Mourdock said Tuesday that pregnancy that results from rape can be "something that God intended to happen."

"I struggled with it myself for a long time, but I came to realize life is that gift from God," Mourdock said at a debate. "And I think even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen."

Yes, that's right, Mourdock -- not some fringe Republican without standing in the party but the GOP's Indiana Senate candidate, having defeated long-time and highly respected Sen. Richard Lugar in the primary earlier this year -- said that his "God" is behind rape, that rape is... divine. As his opponent, Democrat Joe Donnelly said in response:

"The God I believe in and the God I know most Hoosiers believe in, does not intend for rape to happen -- ever," Mourdock's opponent, Rep. Joe Donnelly (D), said in a statement. "What Mr. Mourdock said is shocking, and it is stunning that he would be so disrespectful to survivors of rape." 

Mourdock later issued a statement clarifying his remarks but also lashing out as his critics:

"God creates life, and that was my point," Mourdock said in the statement. "God does not want rape, and by no means was I suggesting that he does. Rape is a horrible thing, and for anyone to twist my words otherwise is absurd and sick."

Mourdock is obviously an extremist on abortion, and perhaps he did speak a tad inelegantly, but what he said was pretty clear: pregnancy from rape is something that God intended to happen. He can try to rewrite that any way he wants, but it would seem that he's only trying to cover up his real views on the matter: Rape can be a good thing. It's what God wants.

Indeed, even the Romney campaign -- and Romney's a big Mourdock supporter -- ran as far from his comments as possible. "Gov. Romney disagrees with Richard Mourdock's comments, and they do not reflect his views," said his spokesperson, Andrea Saul.

Yes, even Romney understood that Mourdock said something, and believes something, truly crazy and utterly reprehensible.