Todd Akin

Currently the most despised man in America.

Among those on the right calling for Todd Akin to resign from the Missouri Senate Race: National Review, Wall Street Journal, Tea Party Express, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Dennis Prager, Charles Krauthammer, Hugh Hewitt, Ann Coulter, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, the Republican National Committee, four former Missouri Republican senators, Rush Limbaugh ... 

If he stays in the race now, he is effectively running for the Democrats. 

I generally find such ganging up to scapegoat someone disturbing. Let's agree that Akin got the science wrong. Is that so terrible? I've heard a lot of crazy theories from a lot of leading academics too.

But then, this is politics. Is it perhaps a sign of incompetence in a politician to say something so obviously politically incorrect?

Whatever—if Akin really believes in the principles for which he claims to stand, it seems obvious that the right thing for him to do is to leave the race. If he continues, he cannot win. If he steps aside, almost anybody else now has a better chance.