It's too bad that the early Christian apostles didn't have Fox News, as that would have made their job easier. But NY's Cardinal Dolan does have it and his disciples on the "fair & balanced" Fox "News" are doing their best to spread Dolan's gospel and make GOP disciples of all those in reach of the Fox broadcast signal. Yesterday, during a discussion about how, according to Bill Hemmer, a 1993 "religious freedom" law could "sink" the HHS mandate, Hemmer quoted Dolan's commentary on - you guessed it - religious freedom while showing Dolan in acts of Catholic worship. Today, blessed Bill brought in George W Bush's HHS Secretary, Mike Leavitt, in order to talk about how, in the Holy Ghost anointed words of Cardinal Dolan, the evil Obama administration is "strangling the church."  More video of a worshipping Dolan (or is it Dolan worship video?) was shown. Who needs missionaries when you have Fox News!

Bill seemed excited as he reported on the "lawsuit from the Catholic Church." (Actually there are 12 lawsuits, a handful from Catholic colleges.The rest are from some of the 194 Catholic dioceses in the US). As he spoke, the chyron reinforced the Fox News/Cardinal Dolan message: "Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Obama Administration "Strangling" Church With Contraception Mandate." Bill played video of the chubby cheeked Dolan, who spoke to Fox News about how the elimination of the administration's "attempt to define religion," would make everything hunky dory because the church would celebrate - ready for it - religious freedom while continuing to provide the services that supposedly the Obama administration wil curtail. He cited the "choking nature" of the exemptions which, as we know, provided the compromise that the Catholic nun, who is head of the Catholic Hospital Association, approved of. (Something never mentioned on Fox.) In case the viewers didn't get it, Bill told Leavitt that "the phrase people are picking up on is the choking nature."

Naturally, Leavitt agreed and buttressed the bishop's argument about how this action is a violation of freedom of conscience in "imposing the will of government to eliminate" - wait for it - "freedom of religion." He accused the Obama administration of attempting to "diminish the role of religion." After Hemmer tossed the agitprop ball to Leavitt with a question about the reason for the policy, Leavitt ran with it in his comment that it was to "impose their set of values." (And the church isn't imposing theirs on the female employees?) Video of Dolan, wearing his plus size bishop couture and carrying his bishop's "crozier" was shown. Leavitt continued that Obama is "stepping on the rights" of religious people.

To Bill's question about what will happen, Leavitt kept up the Obama bashing. He said while that the administration, "chose to take away the right of religion with a stroke of a pen," the decision could be reversed and "it should be." Devout Mormon Leavitt added that religion should have a role in society. (Like the Mormon and Catholic Church spending gazillions to get the anti-gay marriage Prop 8 approved?) His comment that "the faith community is uniting" to "fight back" is bullshit because liberal Protestants, Reform/Conservative Jews, and those of no faith have NO problem with the mandate. He continued to bray about how this mandate "goes beyond the role of government in imposing itself in" - wait for it - "freedom of religion". Bill was very attentive as Leavitt continued to blither about freedom of religion.

Once again, the "fair and balanced" Bill Hemmer neglected to mention, as did MSNBC's legal analyst Pete Williams, that the cases might not even be heard because the policy isn't in effect. He didn't say anything about similar state cases, brought by the Catholic Church, which were unsuccessful. He avoided the mentioning that Catholic church employees are exempt and that the non-exempt groups get federal monies. And forget any commentary about the rights of women (equal treatment?) who work for these groups, many of them non-Catholics. And what you won't hear on Fox is that there are some bishops who question the wisdom of the lawsuits. Fox "News" - "fair & balanced" as always.

Note: Leavitt is attending the "Religious Freedom Conference" where Catholic Bishop William E Lori will be honored. Lori was one of the lady part free group that testified before that notorious Rep. Issa hearing. He's been transferred, by theVatican, from Connecticut to Maryland where he will fight for the overturn of gay marriage in that state. Talk about imposition of values!?