Blogcritics: Pat Robertson Says Time to “Take Out” Venezuelan Leader Chavez

On Monday’s broadcast of The 700 Club, Christian Coalition founder, televangelist, ’88 presidential candidate, and friend-o-Bush Pat Robertson unloaded on Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, saying, “We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability,” and accusing Chavez of intending to create a “launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism” in Venezuela.

“We don’t need another $200 billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator. It’s a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with … You know, I don’t know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we’re trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it. It’s a whole lot cheaper than starting a war … and I don’t think any oil shipments will stop,” said Robertson.

President Gerald R. Ford forbade political assassination in an executive order in the mid-’70s.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Robertson’s remarks were “inappropriate,” adding, “This is not the policy of the United States government. We do not share his views.”

Our reporting and commentary:

Pat Robertson: Worse Than We Thought?
Apologists say that televangelist Pat Robertson’s recent remarks were an aberration; in reality they were only scratching a darker surface. Mr. Robertson has a long career of what most Americans would call despicable behavior. Consider the following: Robertson’s support…
Posted to Politics by John Bill on August 30, 2005 07:46 AM

Robertson and Jackson: Who Speaks for America?
When two self-proclaimed religious leaders set out American foreign policy from opposite sides of the fence, America is the real loser. Last week the Rev. Pat Robertson told a worldwide audience that the U.S. should assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo…
Posted to Politics by Hank McCoy on August 29, 2005 07:12 PM

Notable Quotables 8/28/05
Quotes of Note that reflect what conservatives think. Or are up against. ~~~~~~~~~~ Two Different Views-Cindy Sheehan From Ann Coulter: Call me old-fashioned, but a grief-stricken war mother shouldn’t have her own full-time PR flack. After your third profile on “Entertainment Tonight,”…
Posted to Politics by Patfish on August 29, 2005 04:45 AM

Venezuela wants Pat Robertson
Venezuelan Pesident Hugo Chavez follows Robertson’s stupid comments with some of his own. When will it stop?
Posted to Politics by Mark Adams on August 29, 2005 02:03 AM

A note to Pat Robertson on his recent thoughts regarding assassinations
Pat I agree with you. We need a dog gone fatwah of our own, of the good people just like you and me. Ooo loo loo loo loo loo loo! Kill all the extremists. Start out with…
Posted to Politics by James D. Carmine PhD on August 27, 2005 04:31 PM

Pat Robertson blames hurricanes on Satan
Noted Climatologist Pat Robertson said at a recent Intelligent Design Weather Symposium that he believes that Florida’s hurricane problems are due to the devil. “We have insulted God with legal abortion and restrictions on religion in public places. Then we…
Posted to Politics by John Bill on August 27, 2005 12:13 PM

Spare Some Love for Hugo Chavez
Everyone’s favorite Banana Republican, Hugo Chavez of Venezuela took time out from a busy schedule of personally rewriting the new Venezuelan constitution, making it illegal to criticize his regime, shutting down newspapers and having political opponents imprisoned, beaten…
Posted to Politics by Dave Nalle on August 26, 2005 10:02 PM

Earth’s Core Spinning Faster Than Crust – Proof of Hell!?!
Noted Intelligent Design scholar Pat Robertson presented his astonishing proof of the existence “Hell.” Professor Robertson said at the 12th annual conference of the…
Posted to Culture by John Bill on August 26, 2005 08:28 AM

Tempest in Teapot Pat Robertson Apologizes, Becomes Yesterday’s News
Sure, the Bible says, “Thou Shalt Not Kill” (Exodus 20:13, KJV), but the Good Book also says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23, KJV) and “For if ye forgive men…
Posted to Culture by Margaret Romao Toigo on August 26, 2005 01:41 AM

Well, it’s a thought
Pat Robertson has an interesting idea about how to handle public figures he disapproves of: Robertson proposes murdering Hugo Chavez, and he somehow seems to think the Monroe Doctrine means that would be OK. Of course, turnabout is fair…
Posted to Politics by Mark Kleiman on August 25, 2005 02:46 PM

Pat Robertson Calls for Destruction of Hoover Dam
Respected and influential Christian Coalition leader Pat (Patty Cakes) Robertson has called upon his followers to get on their knees and pray to the Almighty God for the destruction of the Hoover Dam. Mr. Robertson explains at a recent…
Posted to Culture by John Bill on August 25, 2005 07:36 AM

I voted for Pat Robertson
Confession is good for the soul, so here goes: I voted for Pat Robertson for president. Hold on, America. Don’t ride me out of town on a rail like Homer Stokes just yet. Let me say a…
Posted to Politics by Al Barger on August 25, 2005 04:18 AM

Time to repeal Executive Order 12333 prohibiting political assassination
There are a lot of reasons why it would mostly not be a good idea to go around carelessly assassinating foreign heads of state. It’s going to generate a LOT of ill will that will make the faked up…
Posted to Politics by Al Barger on August 25, 2005 03:32 AM

Pat Robertson’s Other Not-So-Famous Quotes
Pat on woman’s rights: “Feminism encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.”Pat on 9/11:”We have insulted God” with legal abortion and resrictions on religion in public places. “Then we say ‘why…
Posted to Politics by John Bill on August 25, 2005 02:42 AM

The Religious Right Fails to Make Headlines
… but CLEARLY condemns Pat Robertson. I don’t wander over into the Politics section at Blogcritics very often, but I had to respond to David Mark’s post. The evangelical community has been very vocal in it’s condemnation of Pat “How…
Posted to Politics by Warren Kelly on August 24, 2005 10:52 PM

… Then Robertson (Kind Of, Sort Of) Apologizes
Religious Right leader and former Republican presidential candidate Pat Robertson offered a “clarification” to his fatwa against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez this evening — which included an apology so full of excuses as to have little value. In the “clarification,”…
Posted to Politics by David R. Mark on August 24, 2005 10:50 PM

White House, Religious Right Fail To “Condemn” Robertson’s Fatwa
Religious Right leader and former Republican presidential candidate Pat Robertson declared a fatwa on Aug. 22, calling for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Surprisingly, the Bush Administration and major Religious Right organizations have failed to condemn the comments. “If he…
Posted to Politics by David R. Mark on August 24, 2005 09:36 PM

Religious Extremist Pat Robertson Incites International Firestorm
On the Monday, August 23, 2005 edition of “The 700 Club,” Reverend Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition who was also a 1988 candidate for the Republican nomination for president, said that Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela,…
Posted to Culture by Margaret Romao Toigo on August 24, 2005 05:59 PM

What stops Christians from assassinating Pat Robertson?
If I were a Christian like Pat Robertson, I would advocate having him assassinated. After all, it’s the new Christian doctrine. The Eleventh Commandment: Thou shalt kill those that thou doth not liketh. Do I like Pat Robertson? Sure, I…
Posted to Politics by Adam Ash on August 24, 2005 11:37 AM

Pat Robertson: Say what??
First saw it on CNN. Then, according to Independent UK: Pat Robertson, one of the most influential Christian evangelists in the United States, has sparked controversy by calling for the assassination of the left-wing…
Posted to Politics by messy on August 24, 2005 06:15 AM

Pat Robertson FCC Complaint info
Yesterday so called “Christian” TV preacher Pat Robertson called for a hit on Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, calling him a “terrific danger” to the United States. This is a violation of FCC indecency codes if shown on public TV…
Posted to Politics by John Bill on August 24, 2005 06:11 AM

What Ordinary People are Saying–Robertson Assassination Comment
Here are some examples of what ordinary people are saying about U.S. televangelist Pat Robertson, who suggested the U.S. government should assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Robertson went on to state that Chavez is a “dangerous enemy” and killing Chavez…
Posted to Politics by Ordinary Joe on August 23, 2005 09:30 PM

Pat Robertson Incites Capital Offense
The United States does not have the most exemplary record when it comes to dealings with its neighbours to the south. Too often, under the guise of protecting democracy, they have interfered in democratically elected governments or popular revolutions to…
Posted to Politics by gypsyman on August 23, 2005 09:23 PM

Thou Shall Not Kill – Get it Through Your Fat Head, Mr. Robertson!
Four words– “Thou Shall Not Kill” Seems pretty straight forward, doesn’t it? Perhaps one of the clearest laws in all of human history. Four words. No exceptions. Handed down from God, so they say. Published in the…
Posted to Politics by The Bulldog Manifesto on August 23, 2005 06:31 PM

Pat Robertson advocates assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez
On the 700 Club Monday, Pat Robertson appeared to be advocating the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who has become known as one of President Bush’s harshest critics. AP STORY Among other things, Chavez has been known…
Posted to Politics by Al Barger on August 23, 2005 12:54 AM