In case you were getting tired of the endless birth-control flogfest, Fox News has come up with another bogeyman to weary your ears with. I refer to (shudder) the most villainous villain of LEFT WING MEDIA, Media Matters for America.  

Sarah Palin visited On The Record last night to discuss what FoxNews.com called “Obama’s contraception controversy.” While it’s true top church leaders continue to oppose President Obama’s mandate that Catholic-affiliated institutions offer contraception as part of health insurance coverage, most Americans and most Catholic Americans support it. However, Palin claimed otherwise and Van Susteren did not correct the record. In fact, she did her own part in promoting the misapprehension that the measure is unpopular.

Despite being ridiculed by Jon Stewart for making the jaw-dropping suggestion that clergy should be “ready to die” to fight President Obama’s mandate that health insurers cover birth control, Father Jonathan Morris doubled down on his “pledge” last night on Hannity. “Of course I’m willing to die, of course I’m willing to go to jail, of course I’m willing to pay a fine. That is the most normal, non-radical thing I can think of,” Morris said fervently. I don’t know how the other guest, a rabbi in support of the mandate, didn’t burst out laughing at such ridiculous theatrics. A priest threatening to die in the name of pro-life opposition to contraception coverage in health insurance? Come on! In reality, the mandate wouldn’t even affect Morris’ own church.

The US Council of Catholic Bishops spends beaucoup bucks on lobbying the Congress to role back American women's reproductive rights. But they get to lobby the American people for free as a result of their cozy relationship with Fox News which provides a platform for a Catholic Diocesan attorney and Fox host to articulate whatever it is the men in black want articulated.  But given that Fox's Peter Johnson Jr. was "knighted" by the Catholic Church (as was Rupert Murdoch; albeit a different royal posse), it's only fair, I guess, that he's dancing with those who brung him. Monday morning, Peter Johnson Jr. and Steve Doocy continued Fox & Friends' ongoing Fox "sausage fest" in support of the bishops' position regarding the HHS birth control mandate. As usual it was a verbatim restatement of the bishop's talking points, including the lie that emergency contraception is abortion as well as - wait for it - the assertion that birth control kills babies. Seriously!  With friends like Fox News, who needs lobbyists? Certainly, not the bishops!

In his Common Sense Commentary Monday (2/13/12), Neil Cavuto complained that there are “really no real cuts” in President Obama’s budget for fiscal year 2013. What Cavuto seemed to mean was that rich people were sacrificing too much, the poor not enough.

Sean Hannity has been screaming about Islamic extremism taking over Egypt since before Mubarek was overthrown. Lately, he has been trying to exploit a dispute between Egypt and the U.S. over 16 detained Americans by calling it a “hostage crisis.” Unfortunately for Hannity and his Islamophobic fear mongering, John McCain set him straight in no uncertain terms Monday night (2/13/12).

Sean Hannity’s all-male religious panel got its just rewards on The Daily Show last night.  As usual, Jon Stewart struck right at the heart of what was wrong with Hannity’s picture – not the opposition to Obama's contraception mandate, per se, but to the self-aggrandizing holy war that Hannity and his like-minded crusaders tried to make out of it. “I gotta hand it to these guys on imagination," Stewart said. "First, wine becomes blood, then insurance reform becomes war."

Last night’s Hannity discussion about Nicki Minaj’s performance at the Grammy’s was proof positive that Fox News will use ANYTHING as an excuse to attack President Obama. Guest Deneen Borelli suggested that Minaj’s “assault” on the Catholic Church was merely following the example set by President Obama with his contraception mandate.

This just in. The very fecund Mr. and Mrs. Duggar, after praying about it, endorsed Rick Santorum. The told the smiling and giggling gang on the curvy couch that they think Santorum is awesome because he promotes "family values" and "lives within a budget" just like they do. It's a complex world! (Video below the fold)

Religious opposition to the HHS contraceptive mandate is not universal. The decision has been praised by clergy who support women's reproductive rights, such as the Episcopal Church, the UCC, and non Orthodox Jews. But you didn't see any of these faiths in the audience for Sean Hannity's all male conclave of right wing clergy who oppose the HHS mandate, as well as women's reproductive rights in general. In addition to the clergy, including Roger Ailes' personal house priest, Fr. Jonathan Morris, the Fox anointed Catholic leader, the  homophobic, anti-Semitic, and blamer of victims of pedophile priests, Bill Donohue was present to do his usual incoherent braying. When Hannity asked how many of the clergy would disobey the HHS policy, all but one of the guys raised their hand. Not only did Fr. Morris raise his hand; but he said that clergy should be "ready to die" for this issue. While all this sound oh, so butch and brave, it turns out that Morris' (and many of the other clergy) really don't have anything to protest about and in Morris' case, he's been strangely silent about things in his hood.