Krauthammer: Obama Will Cave On Anti-Catholic Birth Control Mandate

BAIER: Something that is having an effect it appears by the day is a mandate under the president healthcare law that the cost of female contraception be fully covered. All employer health plans, even Catholic affiliated schools, hospitals, and charities, where that would go against and violate church doctrine. The backlash here, we've done a number of stories on it, another with James Rosen tonight, Charles. It seems to continue to gain and that there was an indication today that the administration might back down. But then Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, said they are not reconsidering it. 

KRAUTHAMMER: Well, we had Axelrod this morning who began to walk it back, meaning to look for a way out. Then you get Carney who walked back the walk back, who seemed to say we won't change on this. I predict a third switch and they will walk back the walk-back of walk-back. They are going to cave. 

And the reason is this is a very powerful issue. They might have imagined being liberals and secularists that it will only effect a small minority of devout Catholics who themselves don't practice contraception. But in fact it offends everybody. Whatever your personal look at or view on contraception, it's assault on church and the good work it does. And it doesn't respect that a church isn't only what happens in prayer, it is also what happens when it deals with the sick and poor and the hungry, and it has to practice faith. And what the administration has done is to ignore that and really curtail religious liberty. And that I think is a powerful issue. Other elements will gather, but the administration I think in the end will have to cave on this.