Cardinal tweaks Limbaugh, urges fight against birth control policy to stay civil Dolan to Catholics: Be firm but not ‘pugnacious’

Timothy Cardinal Dolan chided Rush Limbaugh on Sunday, saying the campaign against the White House birth control policy shouldn’t be “pugnacious.” “Whatever we do, and however strongly we feel, we do it charitably, we do it civilly,” Dolan said after Sunday morning Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. “We don't judge the motives of other people. We just try, in a confident, peaceful, inviting way, to make our position felt, to invite other people to respect it.” He comments came in response to a question about Limbaugh amid furor that the liberal-hating loudmouth called a Georgetown Law student a “slut” for praising the White House policy at a congressional hearing. The right-wing radio host apologized for his on-air rant over the weekend as an advertiser boycott gained traction. Dolan has been leading the battle to repeal a White House rule that requires employers to provide insurance coverage for free contraception. President Obama created a loophole of sorts for church-affiliated schools, hospitals and charities — but it did not mollify the Catholic hierarchy. Dolan repeated his belief that the the policy is “an unwarranted, unprecedented intrusion into the life of the church” and the the bishops are “pretty firm” in their dealings with the feds. But, he added, “we don’t want to do it in a pugnacious way.” He said he is working with Obama to make sure the church’s concerns are addressed. “We're a little frustrated at the time it's taken and the lack of precision, but we're going to keep at it, and we feel very strongly about it,” he said. Dolan’s tsk-tsk was mild compared to the shellacking Limbaugh has taken from bipartisan critics since he mocked law student Sandra Fluke, 30, for her congressional testimony. After Fluke spoke in favor of the rule that would make her Jesuit-run university cover birth control for women, Limbaugh likened her to a “prostitute” and said she should post sex videos online. On Sunday, the company ProFlowers became the seventh advertised to pull its spots from Limbaugh’s show because of his “personal attack.”