Akin fallout could stick to GOP ticket

In the shadow of Todd Akin, the “Mediscare” battle suddenly seems like old news for Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan. Romney, who entered the primary season hoping to steer clear of the culture wars, suddenly finds himself immersed in them after a Missouri Senate candidate’s comments about “legitimate” rape and pregnancy grabbed the spotlight this week. Despite sharp condemnation from Romney and Ryan and calls for him to leave the race, Akin’s remarks sparked a new look at the ways in which the former Massachusetts governor’s own positions on certain issues, like abortion, differ in shades from those of his more conservative running mate’s.