The Contraception Controversy Would Have Been Avoided If Obama Were President

Helene Cooper and Laurie Goldstein of the Ministry of Truth pick up the pom-poms to cover the contraception controversy and assure their readers of two points - Obama is caving in to the Religious Left, not the dreaded Religious Right; and none of this would have happened if Obama had been in charge.

Their lead:

WASHINGTON — For the White House, the decision announced Friday to soften a rule requiring religious-affiliated organizations to pay for insurance plans that offer free birth control was never really driven by a desire to mollify Roman Catholic bishops, who were strongly opposed to the plan.

Rather, the fight was for Sister Carol Keehan — head of an influential Catholic hospital group, who had supported President Obama’s health care law — and Catholic allies of the White House seen as the religious left. Sister Keehan had told the White House that the new rule, part of the health care law, went too far.

Well, that's OK then.  As long as he's not cravenly caving to righties.

Our intrepid reporters also deliver the spin of the aides who have it in for HHS Secretary Sebelius.  Readers at home can play "Where's Barack?"

Meeting with his top advisers in the Oval Office last week amid rising anger from Catholic Democrats, liberal columnists and left-leaning religious leaders — a fed-up Mr. Obama issued an order meant for Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services. Ms. Sebelius and agency lawyers had initially told the president they needed a year to work out a compromise that had seemed obvious to some in the administration from the start: make the new rule more like that offered by the State of Hawaii, where employees of religiously affiliated institutions obtained contraceptives through a side benefit offered by insurance companies.

But in difficult internal negotiations, a group of advisers had bested Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and others and sold the president on a stricter rule. Now the political furor surrounding it was threatening to consume signs of economic improvement giving a boost to the White House and put the Obama re-election campaign on the defensive.

Time was up, Mr. Obama told his advisers, according to officials in the meeting. Ms. Sebelius, a Catholic who, along with the president’s senior adviser Valerie Jarrett and domestic policy adviser Melody Barnes, had pushed hard for the new rule, was not there, but the message came through: Figure out a way to make something like the Hawaii model work.

Oooh, she wasn't even in the meeting when she got her come-uppance?  Not good.  But there's more about how our fed-up President finally took charge:

At the White House, the internal debate had raged since last fall, when administration officials started looking at how to put the rule into practice. All agreed early on that churches would be exempt. The question revolved around colleges, charities and other religiously affiliated institutions that employed people of different faiths.

Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York met with Mr. Obama and argued in favor of a broad exemption. Shortly after, Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood, and other proponents of the rule began a series of meetings with officials to argue against an exemption for religiously affiliated institutions.

Throughout that debate, administration officials said, Mr. Obama pushed hard for a version of the Hawaii rule. But Ms. Sebelius and others at the Department of Health and Human Services said it would take time to resolve whether the administration could emulate that approach. In the end, with the State of the Union address imminent and time passing to work out the new rules governing the carrying out of the health care law, the administration announced on Jan. 20 that religious-affiliated institutions — but not churches — would have to offer the insurance.

“All hell broke loose,” one administration official said, leading to Mr. Obama’s sharp orders in the Oval Office last week.

It's a shame our wise and wonderful President couldn't carry the day last fall.  Didn't he have any allies inside the White House?

What had not been anticipated enough, despite warnings from Mr. Biden; the former chief of staff William Daley; Mr. Biden’s chief of staff, Bruce Reed; and the deputy national security adviser Denis McDonough, administration officials said, was that allies would be furious, too.

That's all?  No wonder.  And no worries - he got Bin Laden!

AN ANSWER FOR MICKEY:  A few days back Mickey Kaus had this question:

What does he do all day? Are you impressed with the image of Obama-at-work left by Ryan Lizza’s “Obama Memos” piece in the New Yorker? The President’s decision-making method–at least as described in the piece–seems to consist mainly of checking boxes on memos his aides have written for him...

Now we know - sometimes he pushes back hard against the memo prepared for him, then caves in.

Comments

[MarkO]

The man wears a cape and fights for truth, justice and the American way. [cue music]

[matt]

Maybe his new monicker should be Pander Bear.

Forget the outcry across the breadth of faith. Forget that it brought Catholics, Evangelicals, Baptists, and oh dear, even radicals together in their opposition in the time it took to say "Dear God, what a fool".

Forget that it trashed the First Amendment.

He did it for Sister Carol Keehan and the Marytools and the Kennedys and Nancy Pelosi and all of them liberation theologists who support the Pope of Pennsylvania Avenue.

Barack Hussein Obama!! mmm....mmm...mmm....

[Jane]

I woke up hear that they made a deal. But they didn't did they?

Darryl Hannon up next

[jimmyk]

Even the deal such as it was, was a joke. "We won't require your coverage to include birth control, we'll just make whoever your insurer is provide it for free." What!? Is there anyone with a 4th grade education who can't see that makes no difference whatsoever? Either Barry is that stupid, or he thinks we are.

[Extraneus]

It's amazing that they're willing to go to the mat for ... birth control? Seriously?

We should already have a candidate who's up ten points on this douchebag.

[Sandy Daze]

hiho JoMers. . .

Am here at CPAC with Jane to my immediate left and Windy on her left. Properly press credential, your intrepid, Sandy Daze, will defer the good stuff to Jane's twitter stream at YOUTOOCONGRESS. If there's anything I might add, you'll read it here.

Currently, Daniel Hannan, MEP, is giving that kind of presentation we would expect from one whose native language is English and not that dialect of English, American.
~~
Golly, there are lots of "True Believers" wandering around the corridors of the Wardman Park Marriott, where CPAC is being held !

OMG~ABO,
Sandy

[Ignatz]

--Either Barry is that stupid, or he thinks we are.--

Well people usually attribute their own traits to others so I'll go with 'both' rather than 'either', jimmy.

[Ignatz]

--and Windy on her left--

Who might that be?

[Sandy Daze]

(Windy Daze, younger daughter. . .)

[Porchlight]

There is no deal where both sides have come to an agreement, Jane. Just the WH's proposed changes of yesterday, which the bishops have declared unsatisfactory.

In addition, someone posted in the last thread that even those proposed "accommodations" amount to a non-binding promise. The regs have been finalized in their original version, pre-accommodations.

I'm curious how this will be presented to churchgoers tomorrow.

[Jane]

Dan not Darryl - sheesh - talk about spectacular. The best so far.

Go to thebandofpatriots.com it's a bunch of kids (like Windy) who have a conservative, patriotic blog. I met them all yesterday. If someone can post a link, that would be great. I told them I would try and get their name out.

[Laura]

Probably not who you think.

[PaulL]

For anyone who missed it in an earlier thread:

Nothing but squid ink. A must-read at The Corner. LUN

The bottom line is this: “Accordingly, the amendment to the interim final rule with comment period amending 45 CFR 147.130(a)(1)(iv) which was published in the Federal Register at 76 FR 46621-46626 on August 3, 2011, is adopted as a final rule without change.”

Translation: The Obama administration Friday afternoon put into federal law the very regulation that drew objections from almost 200 Catholic bishops, some 50 religiously affiliated colleges and universities, 65 North American bishops of Orthodox churches, numerous other Jewish, Evangelical and Lutheran leaders, and even some liberals — and without changing so much as a comma.

[Jane]

Laura, I left you a message from Jim geraghty on the prior thread.

[Milwaukee]

Don't forget that this is the guy who bought liability insurance and was upset he didn't have comprehensive coverage on his own car. So the insurance companies will provide the birth control and the insured aren't paying for it. Pixie dust.

[Porchlight]

Thanks for reposting that, PaulL.

Jane, did Jim Geraghty say "Laura, you need to come on the cruise?" I read your earlier comment as "you" meaning "all you folks at CPAC."

That is pretty cool.

[Milwaukee]

The timing is interesting, near the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Sort of like they announced Poland wasn't getting a ballistic missile shield near the anniversary of the the Soviet Union's invasion of Poland. Once is an accident, twice a coincident, three or more is deliberate. I'm sure we could find other "co-incidents".

He hates us

[Mad Jack]

Count on the Bishops to fold. When Joe Biden is the voice of reason... Yikes.

[Porchlight]

Exactly right, Milwaukee.

[Jane]

He was talking directly to LAURA Porch.

[Rich]

No way is an insurance company giving birth control for free so that means the employer is paying for it indirectly. That is not going to be acceptable to the Catholic Church, their many social organizations and many other religious organizations. This sop is not going to work for any of them that are to the right of Sister Carol Keehan.

[DRJ]

So Obama used Massachusetts' RomneyCare as a template for ObamaCare, and now he used Hawaii's health insurance mandate as a template for contraceptive coverage?

I don't care for either of Obama's choices but it proves to me Gary Johnson was right that the States are "50 laboratories of innovation."

[Sandy Daze]

Pixie dust. . . eh, I'd call it pixie dirt, but that would be too good for the clown-in-chief.

OMG~ABO,
Sandy

~~
To re-enforce PaulL's post, as they say, read it all:
Nothing but Squid Ink
By Ed Haislmaier & Jennifer A. Marshall
February 11, 2012 12:14 A.M

[Windy]

I've decided to join in on the fun.
Oh and mom, Jim Geraghty was quite adament that you (and me) go on the cruise.

[Porchlight]

Fun, Jane (and Windy)!

[peter]

OT, have some Saturday afternoon geek fun at the link LUN

[elkh1]

He got Bin Laden single-handed. Bin Laden's Taleban pals got Afghanistan.

Who was Bin Laden? A figment of Darth Vader Cheney's imagination.

[Laura]

All due respect to Sandy.
It's not fair I get Jim Geraghty and Jane gets Mark Steyn

[Laura]

And Windy, spell check is your friend.

[Sparkey]

A real leader would have made a decision and told his staff the debate it over, make it so or I'll find someone who can.

Community organizers & legislators see themselves as part of or guiding the debate.

Guess we know what our President is.

[TexEd]

Why doesn't Obama simply decree that the Pope make him Cardinal de Tuti Cardinali? Wouldn't that solve the problem?

[Jane]

Laura,

Them's the breaks!

[Janet]

Hey Windy!!! Here is a link to TheBandofPatriots.com

Dedication - Faith - Courage!

[Danube of Thought]

What in God's name? As Mark Steyn asks, can anyone find a person in the United States who wants birth control and can't afford it?

[Janet]

You can also "Like" them on Facebook.
The Band of Patriots

[RebeccaH]

Has anyone else noticed how many powerful women there are around Barack Obama, and how they just kind of... I don't know... push him around?

[Laura]

If only I had a sign.

[Joan of Argghh!]

I sense a new meme, along the lines of Glenn's "They told me that if I voted for McCain."

I like the terse adaptability of ". . . if Obama were President."

Well done!

[matt]

No, he wants the Pope's job next. President isn't enough. He wants to invoke the infallibility clause for all he says and does.

He can also declare his own miracles and keep the waters from rising.

With all of the ice forming in Europe I wonder how they feel about global warming when it's 30 below in the Czech Republic. Paging Al Gore.....

[Jane]

Thanks Janet!!!

[Windy]

Thank you so much Janet! Please go check them out!

And mom, is the spell check referring to my history essays?

[Ignatz]

--Ms. Sebelius, a Catholic...--

Sebelius is about as Catholic as Stalin was Eastern Orthodox. Maybe less so; at least he went to seminary.

[Ignatz]

--And mom, is the spell check referring to my history essays?-

Think she was referring to "adament".

[centralcal]

Hi all - been away doing chores - what time does Sarah Palin speak at CPAC?

[Sandy Daze]

At the CPAC Press Box

Windy & Jane

OMG~ABO !

Sandy

[daddy]

OT, Our very own Thelma and Louise?

Yesterday I linked a local story about a local Union organizer and her corrupt Assistant Attorney General friend getting indicted for fraud and forgery felonies related to a Union organizing effort. The ADN has the story up now, wherein we now find out that at about the same time of this Unionizing Fraud effort these 2 big donors to Dem political campaigns, also engaged in the following:

"Last January, Anchorage police charged former state labor lawyer Erin Pohland, 32, and ex-union organizer Skye Rubadeau McRoberts, 31, with stealing more than $1,000 in shoes from a Fred Meyer store. Both later pleaded guilty."

"...employees at an Anchorage Fred Meyer store watched on surveillance cameras as Pohland and McRoberts cut electronic theft-prevention tags off shoes, replaced the empty shoe boxes and hid the shoes in shopping bags, according to an affidavit filed in a subsequent theft case. McRoberts ended up with all the shoes and was stopped by a loss prevention employee as she pushed her cart out the door without paying."

"McRoberts wouldn't tell them her accomplice's name, but a detective recognized Pohland from a surveillance photo, the affidavit says. Both McRoberts and Pohland pleaded guilty in that case, court records show. Both received sentences of suspended jail time and community service."

The ex-Attorney General Lawyer BTW is the niece of Joe Paterno's wife.

Local Dem's and Union members are trying to distance themselves from these 2 at the speed o' heat.

Both have fled the state, so keep your eyes peeled for incoming Union organizers.

[Jim Ryan]

Windy,

"That you (and I)"!

Hrumph.

[Sandy Daze]

Sarah Palin speaks at 1630 (Eastern).

ABO~OMG!
Sandy

[Sandy Daze]

CPAC Media

Jane's credentials. . .

[centralcal]

Sandy - thanks. (and for the pictures, too)

[Sandy Daze]

on the Mall this morning, before CPAC:

At the Jefferson. . .

OMG~ABO !
Sandy

[Jim Ryan]

Can E. W. Jackson beat George Allen and strip 50% of the black vote in Virginia away from Tim Kaine in the general?

[motionview]

Throughout that debate, administration officials said, Mr. Obama pushed hard for a version of the Hawaii rule.
When you lead from behind all you can do is push, or
That's some good staff work there Champ let's find you a safe district to get started in.

[Sandy Daze]

Just one More (JoM) from the Jefferson:

ABO~OMG !
Sandy

[daddy]

"Every Friday, Alaska’s congressional delegation sends an email to the state’s media outlets delegation touting how much federal grant and loan-money comes to the state. The last two weeks have been so lean that we nixed our regular Fat Friday column.

This week? Holy ham hocks! Alaska received nearly $70 million in federal loans and grants...

[Laura]

Perhaps I should just post Windy's AP US History essays up on JOM for grading. That way I will avoid all rancor between Windy and me. And best of all, she will have some great minds to keep her on her toes.

[Jim Rhoads a/k/a vnjagvet]

After reading that article, I couldn't tell who the authors wanted to make look good. It made El Jefe look like the weakest guy in the room and ValJar and Madam Secretary authoritarian, stubborn and tone deaf.

Maybe it was Biden who was supposed to look good.

[hit and run]

I say essays ... and rancor!

[Steve]

Wow, I can barely read the story without looking at that leering creep Grayson. Wonder if there is any chance he will get reelected?

[mockmook]

WNT at 4PM at US Soccer website

(Did some GMAX mention Heather O'Reilly [left]? [Lauren Cheney on right])

[DrJ]

mockmook,

I need stronger goggles of the narciso variety. Yuck.

[Clarice]

The WaPo front pager was very similar to the NYT storytelling TM cites. In that one they quote Sister Keenan to demonstrate Catholics are really happy with the Obama resolution of the dispute. HEH.
Well when Sally Quinn is your choice to head the On Faith section.........

[mockmook]

4:15 PM kick off

Guess they don't want me to see Sarah -- bet they don't know about CSPAN videos.

[Porchlight]

Great photos - thanks, Sandy!

Looking forward to liveblogging of Palin's speech. Will Jane be doing it on YouTooCongress?

[mockmook]

Yuck.

Posted by: DrJ | February 11, 2012 at 03:54 PM

------

Good grief, they are soccer players, not super models--I think they look fantastic.

[Charlie (Colorado)]

What!? Is there anyone with a 4th grade education who can't see that makes no difference whatsoever?

From the comments at PJ, apparently.

[DrJ]

they are soccer players, not super models

Of course the little black dresses were a dead giveaway for their soccer-playing prowess. Yikes!

[daddy]

A Masterpiece!

Portrait of Guinness founder, Arthur Guinness, made using Guinness

"American artist Karen Eland paints pictures with beer instead of paint".

[Ann]

Another Masterpiece (seen at CPAC today):

Love her Western Cowboy Belt

Watch live at 4:30 on http://cpac.cc/

[Sandy Daze]

Porchlight, yes, Jane is on it at YOUTOOCONGRESS.
As Jane's photog, I will take some images and post here. . .

(Was great to walk up to the unregistered media table and request the credentials. Who are you with, and I showed the sticker I had been given. Business card? - sure. Photo ID, you betcha !)

All along the walls of the main auditorium (which the media balcony overlooks) and several other outer conference rooms and the concourse are filling with folks, getting in position for SP's 1630 address. We've got a great view and owing to Jane's staking out the high ground early on, actually the best seats in the entire media area.

OMG-ABO, You Betcha !
Sandy

[Ratskeller]

Valerie Jarrett is "president of the U.S." i.e., the one really running the country-- and the sooner people realize this the better the loyal opposition will be able to plan ahead for the next insult to the Constitution.

[jimmyk]

From the comments at PJ, apparently.

From what I've seen, those commenters are being disingenuous more than stupid. It's all a game (wink, wink), Obama played you conservatives, ha, ha. Well, ok, they are stupid, but I don't think even they see the compromise as any real change, just a neat trick that they think/hope the public will buy. Looks like it ain't working, though.

[Sara]

Mitt Romney wins the CPAC Straw Poll as well as their National Poll of Conservatives.

[Porchlight]

Sarah's on. The audience just sang happy birthday to her.

[Dean from Ohio]

"Ms. Sebelius, a Catholic who, along with the president’s senior adviser Valerie Jarrett and domestic policy adviser Melody Barnes..."

I know that Valerie Jarrett is an Iranian snake, but I didn't fully realize until now that we have American snakes nearly as evil--Sebelius and Barnes. The White House truly is a "brood of vipers" as John the Baptist would say, presided over by our own Herod.

" 'All hell broke loose,' one administration official said, leading to Mr. Obama’s sharp orders in the Oval Office last week."

No, all hell broke loose when President Obama was elected and inaugurated. And when has Mr. Obama ever issued a "sharp order?" He seems to get stuck at undermining the Constitution, clearing the way for abortions and voting "Present."

[Pops]

So why do people like Pelosi and Sebilius and Biden get to call themselves CATHOLICS and are so labelled by the press, but no Republican can ever be called an Environmentalist, or a civil rights leader with out specific and outstanding proof.

Why does the press never question them on why they call themselves Catholics but totally disagree with the fundamental teachings of the Catholic church.

Its like saying your a vegetarian, except you eat beef, pork and chicken, but not fish.

[Jim Ryan]

Si se puede!

[Neo]

This whole episode shows what a tin ear Obama has for religion. Rev. Wight and Trinity Church of the Marxists didn't exactly clue him into the mainstream.

It's really gonna look great when a Nobel f-ing Peace Prize winner is sending priests and nuns to jail.

[Extraneus]

"He says he has a jobs plan, to wind the future. Yeah, I know, WTF. And they call *me* the idiot."

--Sarah Palin, just a minute ago

[Sandy Daze]

Sarah Palin @ CPAC:

"

Happy Birthday SP !

"This government is not to big to fail, it is too BIG to succeed."

She's taking the piss (Brit term) left and right. . .Protest group just broken up and being escorted out. . . to chants of USA USA USA

OMG~ABO,
Sandy

[Extraneus]

win, win

[Janet]

Sarah is really great. How we ever allowed the MFM tear her apart is so sad...

[Extraneus]

"We" didn't allow it, Janet. The people who backed off from defending her, because they said she was damaged goods, did.

[Clarice]

Earlier accounts of his meeting with Dolan at the beginning indicated he was angry because staff hadn't prepared him for the meeting--now he yells at everyone to just fix this before the State of the union..It must be hard to be Obama--fitting in all these directives when he has no idea what he's doing or why..

[Leo DeAngelis]

Ummm, didn't President Obama sign an executive order to pacify Bart Stupak and other pro-life House democrats outlawing abortions paid for by the Affordable Care Act?

So why is Plan B, RU 486, being given 'free' to anyone under ObamaCare? Did Obama qualify his executive order to exclude abortions in the first week or fetal life? I think if he had the catholic prelates would have noticed, but then if many of them were in the tank for Obama, maybe they weren't looking too close.

[Janet]

You're right, Extraneus.

[Extraneus]

"Maybe instead of calling Washington a swamp, we should call it a wetland. Then the EPA will help us keep us from growing so fast."

Heh.

[Captain Hate]

"We" didn't allow it, Janet. The people who backed off from defending her, because they said she was damaged goods, did.

No *we* didn't, Ext. It really pains me how some of the catamites @ AoS have turned on her; and then can't understand why I don't go all in for their flavor of the month. Her future might have been ruined by McRINO choosing her, in what was possibly his biggest middle finger to conservatives.

Still it's never over until I say it is.

[daddy]

Henry, or Caro, or anyone.

Do you have a link to where I can check the names on the GAB Recall signatures list in Wisconsin?

Just for interest, I would like to see if either of the 2 Alaska Union Organizing perps who fled our state appear on the recalls.

Erin Pohland and Skye Rubadeau McRoberts are who I want to look for. Just a hunch.

[Extraneus]

I wonder if there was any sense of guilt on the left as they read through those 30,000 emails they salivated so much over. Or that letter to Trig's parents from God.

[Captain Hate]

he was angry because staff hadn't prepared him for the meeting

Prep step 1. Brain transplant

[Sandy Daze]

When the Ship of State is sinking the last thing we need is a community organizer re-organizing the deckchairs and singing . . .let's stay together. . .

heh-heh

You betcha,
OMG~ABO,
Sandy

[glasater]

daddy-

I believe if you google true the vote you may find out there.

[Janet]

She is so good.

[Captain Hate]

LOL @ sense of guilt, Ext. They'd murder her in cold blood if they could and turn it into a pali funeral cult of death worshiping. She reveals their inner feral insanity and they can't help themselves. They all need rabies shots and spaying/neutering.

[Captain Hate]

and singing . . .let's stay together. . .

There's a carton of Kools about to be torched based on that comment.

[Melinda Romanoff]

daddy-

Have at it.

[Dave (in MA)]

Maybe his new monicker should be Pander Bear.

That wasn't exactly a winning strategy when Tsongas was running against the cigar shover.

[Sara]

Did I miss a discussion on Gov. Walker's CPAC speech? I thought he was great.

[centralcal]

Sorry, but not one of our candidates measures up to Sarah's waistline - midgets all. Midgets all.