At tonight’s GOP debate, John King asked a question submitted to CNNPolitics.com: “Since birth control is the latest hot topic, which candidate believes in birth control and if not, why?”
The crowd didn’t like it. They boo’d. The candidates didn’t much care for it either, except Newt Gingrich who used it as an opportunity to go after his favorite targets: the media and Pres. Obama.
“You did not once in the 2008 campaign, not once did anybody in the elite media ask why Barack Obama voted in favor of legalizing infanticide,” said Gingrich. “So let’s be clear here. If we’re going to have a debate about who the extremist is on these issues, it is President Obama.”
Then Mitt Romney jumped in: “John, what’s happened — and you recall back in the debate we had George Stephanopoulos talking out about birth control, we wondered why in the world is contraception — why is he going there? We found out when Barack Obama continued his attack on religious conscience.”
> More: In the post-debate wrap up, Gloria Borger asked Rick Santorum his reaction to those who say he is “spending way too much time talking about divisive cultural issues.” His response: “As John King tried to do on contraception and other things that are outrageous questions, and then the next question is ‘why are you talking so much about social issues?’ They ask and then they say, ‘you’re talking about social issues all the time.’ Look, I understand the game. and we’re just going to go out and continue to stay on message.” King responded later, “I understand the game as well, and I don’t think it’s out of bounds to ask a presidential candidate about something they said in a presidential campaign.”