Fox & Friends Saturday turns Benedict Arnold in war on Christmas

As we all know from the intense Fox News coverage beginning in mid-November, there is no story more important to our nation than whether people, companies, and towns wish each other “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays.” Dubbed the “War on Christmas,” Fox has dived headfirst into their perennial campaign to keep their viewers well-informed about who is committing the unforgivable sin of removing the word “Christmas” from the season and thereby somehow hastening the demise of what may be our nation's largest cultural and religious event. Just last week, for example, we were treated to three days of breathless coverage on Fox & Friends about a local parade in Tulsa, OK whose organizers decided to change the name from the “Christmas Parade of Lights” to the “Holiday Parade of Lights.” Host Gretchen Carlson, one of the staunchest soldiers in the attempt to defend Christmas from its devious enemies, even thought it was important to note multiple times that the organizers' decision had prompted Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe and the Acres of Love Alpaca Farm to no longer participate in the event.

This morning, however, the War on Christmas took a strange turn. While covering their seasonal party, Fox & Friends Saturday dropped the following bombshell:

Fox & Friends: Happy Holidays

Horrifying. Is Fox & Friends Saturday turning traitor in the War on Christmas? Will this lead to civil warfare between the powerful Carlson and the hosts of Fox & Friends Saturday, Fox News' most celebrated JV team? The picture shows hosts Dave Briggs, Alisyn Camerota, and Clayton Morris deigning to celebrate the “holiday” season with their weatherman. Now that the battle lines have been clearly drawn, we may see internecine fighting to rival Rove and Palin.

Don't worry, this incident is not the first step in a changing attitude toward Christmas on Fox. A few short hours later, America's News HQ hosted Mathew Staver, the founder of the Liberty Council, a Christian non-profit offering legal help to anyone fighting against reproductive choice, gay rights, and, for some reason, health care reform. They also publish a yearly “naughty and nice” list of which retailers use the word “Christmas” and which use the far more offensive “Holidays.” The Council's “naughty” list includes those retailers “who profit off Christmas but pretend it doesn't exist.” They apparently have been doing this for six years, which makes Mr. Staver the perfect person to get Fox's defense of Christmas back on track: