Along with being a conduit for the politics of the United States Council of Catholic Bishops, Fox & Friends appears to be a public relations arm for NY Catholic Cardinal Timothy Dolan who is also head of the bishop's group. Over the week-end, Fox & Friends ran several segments, live from Rome, during which Fox professional Catholic (and Dolan litigator) Peter Johnson Jr. and Fox house priest (only Fox official clergy) Father Jonathan Morris talked about the might and majesty of Timothy Dolan who, wink, wink, could be the next pope. (Irish Paddy Power odds are 80/1). The Dolan lovefest continued, this morning, on Fox & Friends.

Earlier this week Fox “News” pitbull Eric Bolling, substituting for Gretchen Carlson on Fox and Friends, was forced to apologize for a crack he made about Rep. Maxine Waters smoking crack like the dearly departed Whitney Houston.  Last night on The Daily Show, while Lewis Black delivered a stinging commentary on the media hoopla surrounding Houston’s death, he singled out Bolling’s racist remark.  Video below.

Fox News’ dodgy pollster, Frank Luntz, has shocked us before with his blatant partisanship dressed up as impartial moderating of focus groups. But this bit of video - in which Luntz jokes he wants to put a “Run, Barack Run” bumper sticker on the front of his car – takes the cake. I’m not sure which was worse, Luntz’ joke or the crowd's laughter.

What a coincidence that just days after Republicans decided to use the rising cost of gas as a vehicle to attack President Obama, you can barely turn on Fox News without hearing a discussion about it. Last night, Bill O’Reilly did his part for the effort by announcing that President Obama actually wants prices to go “as high as possible” to satisfy his anti-fossil fuels agenda.

Only on Fox News would a report about American children being born out of wedlock serve as little more than a thinly-veiled excuse to attack President Obama. But that’s what happened last night on The O’Reilly Factor as “media critic” Bernard Goldberg used that news to accuse Obama of fostering a rising rate of illegitimacy as part of his “class warfare.” What Goldberg really meant was that Obama should be more critical and demanding of the (undeserving and poor) unwed parents and stop asking more of the deserving and rich. As he and Bill O'Reilly decried the situation, the “no spin zone” O’Reilly Factor offered up nobody with any real expertise in dealing with the problem, much less the point of view of any actual unwed mothers.

Apart from the Catholic Church and many in the "pro-life" movement, contraception is considered a very good thing as it improves a woman's health and welfare by allowing her to reproduce if and when she chooses. For women who need to avoid life threatening pregnancies, it is vital. For many women, the ability to plan pregnancies is a lifeline out of poverty. The CDC and the World Health Association consider it one of the 10 greatest health achievements. In addition to its importance for women, it serves the greater society as unfettered reproduction has dire socio-economic ramifications. Only in the strange, alternate universe of Fox's "The Five," is birth control considered a plot by the "left" to "get rid of the poor." Yep, the not poor Greg Gutfeld and Dana Perino think that birth control is some kind of eugenics plot on the part of the Obama administration and "the left." So in Fox bizarro world, providing free birth control to poor women, which prevents children from being born into poverty is a bad thing because it's "getting rid of the poor?" WTF? We have truly gone through the looking glass.

Presidential candidate Rick Santorum has come under fire lately for his comments attacking President Obama’s religion. So where else does anyone go in need of some Republican Rehab but the Hannity show? It was the perfect place for Santorum last night. As Sean “I’m not a birther, I just think Obama should produce his birth certificate and get it over with” Hannity insisted Santorum never questioned Obama’s faith (and blamed liberals for even suggesting such a thing), Santorum assured viewers he never questioned whether or not Obama’s a Christian, just what kind of Christian he is.

Fox News Sunday is not known to be part of Fox News' "opinion" programming. But yesterday's show was just the latest example of a show without any Democratic guest. Screen grab and a list of other shows without Democratic guests after the jump.

As we’ve reported, Liz Trotta has come under a lot of fire for having said, “Now, what did they expect?” at the news that the Pentagon is looking into ways to deal with a rise in violent sexual assault in the military. The Viet Nam Veterans of America were outraged and demanded an apology from her and a denunciation of her remarks from Fox News. Instead, yesterday, Trotta skirted the “what did they expect” aspect of her commentary and doubled down on her complaints about women in the military - and attacks on feminism - in an attempt to respond and defend herself. Fox host Eric Shawn sympathetically helped emphasize her military cred as he and Fox News graphics highlighted her war-reporting credentials. Classy.

Like the eponymous doctor in Mary Shelly’s famous novel, Fox and Friends has created a monster in Brad “Franken” Stine.  Will Fox “News” condemn or condone its latest monstrosity?  Among the more monstrous remarks Stine made today were “If Santorum doesn’t want to question his [President Obama’s] Christianity, I will!” and “Listen: If Santorum can be slammed for living like a Christian, then why can’t Obama be slammed for faking it?”  Then he bet President Obama one-thousand dollars that he wouldn’t come on tee vee like all the other good little Christians and admit that Jesus is the only route to heaven.  There is no way Stine can now come back and claim he was just joking after sending the following tweet: