There are lots of reasons to be disappointed in Rand, but to my mind this is not one of them. I expect as Rand's email suggests that this (like the Akin scandal) has more to do with the efforts of the GOP establishment to purge the party of 'uncooperative' independent-minded insurgent Republicans than a comment on abortion/the nature of life. But I do not hold your fervent pro-choice views - I acknowledge I might be similarly outraged if I did (libertarians in my experience are split about 50/50 on the issue)

2.

I get what you mean with that, Tolstoy, but my thought (and I'll admit I'm not following all the national races as closely as I ought) is that there have to be plenty of other races that exemplify this.

And I'm not sure this is especially a pro-life/choice split. Even most pro-lifers I know think this is a bit far, and I can't name a single person who actually believes rape = God's will = good (which is the logical conclusion of what Mourdock said). Frankly, the appeal to an imaginary friend in the sky being used to justify even tighter restrictions on abortion than is mainstream for opposition to abortion rights seems about as anti-libertarian as it gets on the issue.