'More Conservative Than Many' Mika Defends Santorum's Contraception Stance

Those imagining Mika Brzezinski as a straight-down-the-line liberal will be surprised by her comments on today's Morning Joe.

Brzezinski didn't demur after Joe Scarborough described her as a Catholic who is "more conservative than many" on social issues.  To the contrary, she proceeded to prove Scarborough's point by defending Rick Santorum's stance on contraception.  The show had played two clips of Santorum in which he had called contraception "harmful to women" and said that contraception "is not OK."  Video after the jump.

I'll be back with the transcript, but in the meantime watch Mika show surprising sympathy for Santorum's views on a sensitive social issue.

Note: Mika's statement went well beyond a "I disagree with what he says but defend his right to say it" straddle.  To the contrary,  in line with Santorum's view, she opined that "there is a lot of risky behavior out there that happens to be connected to birth control."

JOE SCARBOROUGH: Mika, you're a Catholic --

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: And a woman.

SCARBOROUGH: -- and a woman. On social issues you're more conservative I think than many.

BRZEZINSKI: Yeah.

SCARBOROUGH: What do you think of these Santorum clips?

BRZEZINSKI: I don't think there's anything wrong with believing that, I really don't. I don't think that means he's going to ban birth control across the board.  Those are his personal beliefs. And I think that as a father, and a man who's held public office, he's lived up to them, it appears. Which makes it interesting for the conversation, and it's a conversation probably every family should have, about birth control and its role in society with their own kids.  He's got his own, and he stands by them, and I think he's an interesting part of the national conversation in terms of where our society is going. And there is a lot of risky behavior out there that happens to be connected to birth control. So there's a whole other side to this conversation.  And not once did I say should it be banned, or should it not be covered by health insurance. But I think it's OK to have those beliefs or those concerns.