More on Akin

My updated reporting from "Morning Joe": HALPERIN: "The national Republicans are feeling a little frustrated. not only do they not have any persuasive arguments that have worked so far but they're having trouble finding him or reaching him. They're not in dialogue with him as they might be with a normal party nominee. For a lot of them, the key is Mike Huckabee. Huckabee's endorsement probably did a fair amount to get him the nomination in that three-way fight and he's seen as a possible bridge, if he's willing to, to go to the Congressman and say, look, you got to get off this. It's increasingly likely, despite, Joe, your prediction and mine from earlier, that they're not going to get him out today. He's got a poll that he's touting to people that shows the race is still close. he wants to put this new ad on the air that shows him apologizing profusely. And so, they can't reach him, they don't have any good arguments, and he's determined to fight on. BRZEZINSKI: Is he campaigning? SCARBOROUGH: Will he listen, if Mike can get in touch with him, Governor Huckabee, will he listen to him? HALPERIN: Well, that's the hope of national Republicans who, again, are having trouble even getting him on the phone, let alone being able to make the case. Huckabee's support was so important to him, their hope is that he can make the case for the good of the party, as you said, thinking about the Supreme Court, thinking about the Senate seat, and the impact it can have on other candidates to get him out. I don't know that they know that Huckabee will do it. I don't know that they know that Huckabee will be persuasive. But it shows the extent to which they're grasping in the establishment to find someone somewhat outside the establishment like Mike Huckabee, who could be an ambassador to him, to try to get him to see that this is not going to work if he goes forward.