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.

“Trouble growing tonight for President Obama’s contraception rule,” Van Susteren announced at the beginning of the segment, as she relayed how the top American Bishop, Timothy Dolan, soon to be a Cardinal, plans to fight the mandate.

Van Susteren began by giving Palin the opening to attack President Obama as anti-religious. “That’s (the mandate) going over like a lead balloon with the Catholic Church,” Van Susteren said. “Why?”

After Palin made her predictable attack, Van Susteren ignored the fact that the mandate is popular with Americans and Catholics. She called the bishop’s opposition “interesting” and said, “I’m sort of stunned by how poorly this was thought out by the Obama administration.”

“Very poor politics that they would choose such a battle,” Palin said in her screechy, lecturing voice. “One, to pick a fight with faith-filled Americans. You know, we will fight… to the death for our freedom of religion… This is an un-American act of our President… Barack Obama needs to rethink what he has just done to the people of America because we’re rising up on this one. We’re not going to back off and we’re not gonna say, ‘OK, it is alright that such a violation of conscience… we’re just gonna sit back and let it happen to us.’ Not this time.”

Right, as if Palin is about to join Morris on the protest line any time soon.

Instead of pointing out how public opinion is against Palin, Van Susteren said it would be “interesting” to see whether the heavy Catholic vote in such swing states as Wisconsin and Florida are influenced by the church’s position. In fact, a poll released yesterday shows that Catholics are standing by Obama.