Just before Al Sharpton took a seat as an anchor on MSNBC in 2011, he told CBS he wouldn’t criticize President Barack Obama because he didn’t want to help his political opponents (Republicans). He wasn’t kidding.

As Billy Hallowell wrote on the front page, On “Morning Joe” today Sharpton was asked to comment on the Obama administration mandating Catholic institutions to provide health insurance options that include birth control for employees. Sharpton said the mandate “doesn’t make sense politically,“ but said it was the ”right position.”

Host Joe Scarborough challenged Sharpton, equating the mandate to a hypothetical situation in which the State could demand that churches perform same-sex marriages. Sharpton responded:

“To say that I have to do a sacred ceremony that I may disagree with is not me opposing same-sex marriage. Here you’re talking about something… If she‘s an employee that’s a Catholic that believes — or not a Catholic — that believes that she wants to use a contraceptive, she has the right by law to have that.”

Mhm.

Watch via Mediaite: