Gingrich to Obama: 'Respect our religion,' not 'every other religion'

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich says he's had it with President Barack Obama "respecting every other religion on the planet," and thinks it's time for him to "respect our religion" instead.

At a campaign event in Florida on Monday, Gingrich seized on letters read at Catholic Churches across the U.S. that condemned the Obama administration for making birth control more available to women.

"Callista and I were at mass last night, and I believe at every Catholic Church, they are reading a letter about the Obama administration's attack on Christianity," Gingrich explained. "This is a fundamental assault on the freedom of religion. ... If you help me win the nomination and then you help me win the election, on the very first day I'm inaugurated, I will sign an executive order repealing every Obama attack on religion across the entire government."

"I think we need to have a government that respects our religions," he added. "I'm a little bit tired of being lectured about respecting every other religion on the planet. I'd like him to respect our religion."

While he was at it, Gingrich also charged that the current Republican frontrunner, Mitt Romney, had waged his own war on religion.

"Gov. Romney imposed on the Catholic hospitals in Massachusetts, a position against their conscious," he said, possibly referring to the misleading claim that Romney supported government-subsidized abortions. He could have also been referencing a decision the former Massachusetts governor made to provide the Plan B birth control pill under Medicaid.

"Gov. Romney cut off Kosher meals for Jewish senior citizens who were on Medicaid to save $5 a day," Gingrich continued.

The New York Postreported last week that that Romney had used his veto in 2003 to reject $600,000 in funds that would have allowed poor Jewish nursing homes to get Kosher meals.

Watch this video from CNN, broadcast Jan. 30, 2012.

(H/T: Think Progress)