No, he did not commit a fatal gaffe. The problem was that less than 24 hours after making his gaffe and providing almost an immediate apology, the entire Rep establishment was calling for Akin to leave the race. The RNC said they were cutting off all funding to Akin and he was disinvited from the convention. Romney and Ryan needlessly got involved and called for his withdrawal. Now they will run on the same ticket with him and no doubt be asked by the MSM every time they campaign in MO to reiterate their non-support of Akin.
The Rep establishment used Akin's gaffe as the pretext to get rid of him and replace him with a moderate. This stinks of Karl Rove who also cut off all Super Pac funding. It didn't work because Akin refused to cave in to the pressure. The Reps could just as easily made a statement distancing themselves from Akin's gaffe, accepting his apology, and saying it was time to move on to address the real concerns of the voters like Obamacare, the debt and deficit, etc. Instead they bought into the MSM and Dem manufactured hysteria and treated Akin as a leper.
I agree with Mike Huckabee's evaluation:
"The Party’s leaders have for reasons that aren’t rational, left [Akin] behind on the political battlefield, wounded and bleeding, a casualty of his self-inflicted, but not intentional wound. In a Party that supposedly stands for life, it was tragic to see the carefully orchestrated and systematic attack on a fellow Republican. Not for a moral failure or corruption or a criminal act, but for a misstatement which he contritely and utterly repudiated. I was shocked by GOP leaders and elected officials who rushed so quickly to end the political life of a candidate over a mistaken comment in an interview. This was a serious mistake, but it was blown out of proportion not by the left, but by Akin’s own Republican Party. Is this what the party really thinks of principled pro-life advocates? Do we forgive and forget the verbal gaffes of Republicans who are “conveniently pro-life” for political advantage, but crucify one who truly believes that every life is sacred?"
I agree with you on the speed with which prominent GOP leaders rushed to call for his dismissal. That enhanced the news of his statements and magnified damage to Akin’s candidacy. But now all that is water under the bridge.
My main point is every one makes dumb statements once in a while. The difference here is that Akin’s statement was profoundly stupid. Saying legitimate rape seldom causes pregnancy is beyond the pale. It is extremely difficult to recover from a statement like that which 90% of people find offensive and 100% of medical professionals find it incorrect. Apology will not erase the damage.