Republicans held a press conference on Wednesday to protest the Obama administration's requirement that private insurers cover birth control, which goes into effect today, and Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania wins the award for most sensational rhetoric:

I know in your mind you can think of times when America was attacked. One is December 7th, that's Pearl Harbor day. The other is September 11th, and that's the day of the terrorist attack. I want you to remember August the 1st, 2012, the attack on our religious freedom. That is a day that will live in infamy, along with those other dates.

The new rule goes into effect today as part of the health care reform law, and requires insurers to provide birth control without a co-pay. Likening this to events that killed thousands of Americans has, as you can imagine, been declared a little overwrought by some less supportive of Kelly's case. Other Republicans spoke too, and weren't necessarily less upset with the mandate, but (for some reason) Kelly's quote is already leading the day in reports. Meanwhile, for a tastier form of protest, look to Rick Santorum, who mentioned the contraception rule in his e-mail to supporters (and reporters) while urging them to hit up Chick-fil-A, your one stop shop for waffle fries and the Biblical definition of marriage. "What do chicken sandwiches and the First Amendment have in common?" he asks in the e-mail. There's a punchline in there somewhere ... 

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