Paul Ryan. Photo by Gage Skidmore.

Remember, a few months back, when we were all nervously ROFLing about Rick Santorum?

Sure, we were scared shitless. After all, Santorum said that abortion should not be permitted in cases of rape or incest. Instead, he told sexual assault victims to “make the best out of a bad situation” and called rape babies a “very broken” gift from God — AND HE WANTED TO BE PRESIDENT.

However, we were able to step back and see some measure of absurdist humor in Santorum’s abject ass-to-mouth insanity, because it didn’t appear he would actually become the nation’s commander in chief.

But then Todd “legitimate rape” Akin happened this week, bringing our attention to a man who wants to get uncomfortably close to the presidency, Paul Ryan.

Illustration by arimoore via Flickr.com.

So here’s what’s up with Ryan.

He and Akin don’t just share a lot of the same views on abortion.

Rather, they partnered on a “personhood” bill that would have outlawed abortion  – including in cases of rape and incest — and many contraceptives, as it sought to give fertilized egg a legal right to life.

Though Ryan has tried to distance himself from the disgraced Senate candidate — including their collaboration on the bill — he is not ideologically far away from Akin WHATSOEVER.

Asked if he was OK with abortions for rape victims, he told a reporter this week: “Well, look, I’m proud of my pro-life record. And I stand by my pro-life record in Congress. It’s something I’m proud of. But Mitt Romney is the top of the ticket and Mitt Romney will be president and he will set the policy of the Romney administration.”

And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen: Paul Ryan defends his support of a morally egregious position by saying that we shouldn’t really worry, because he’s not the guy running for president.

He’s just running to be the second-in-line for the presidency.

Yeah … hearing that doesn’t make us feel too much better, either.

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