Yes, I admit to being puzzled by that point. The only answers I have to deal with that are 1) Obama is really THAT stupid/narcissistic. 2)Given the extended time they have been thinking about it, there is some well thought out "plan". I take your point, but I think I'll go with 2) a "plan". Thanks.
This is apparently the basis of that "plan". Obama emphasizes "contraception" (not abortion), hands this off to his media empire to brainwash the average American, AND the more outrage the better because it takes the emphasis off of the economy. (If you're sitting around the house on a government paycheck, maybe birth control is more important than a job ;-)
This might also have been done with the assumption that he will go up against Romney and Romney apparently has some baggage in this area (whereas Santorum has more standing with regard to fighting Obamacare and the HHS mandate, but will be weaker regarding birth control).
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/why-white-house-sees-political-opportunity-in-the-contraception-battle/2012/02/07/gIQAZ9hryQ_blog.html