Say What!?

According to Fox News, Pat Robertson, the defining expression of "right-wing idiotarian," openly called for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez:

"We don't need another $200 billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator," he continued. "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," Robertson said. "It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war ... and I don't think any oil shipments will stop."

This really shouldn't surprise me, coming from the guy who advocated that the State Dept should be "blown up with a nuclear device" and said that the Supreme Court is a greater threat than Nazi Germany was.

Don't get me wrong: I have no philosophical or moral problem with removing Chavez, but Robertson purports to be a minister of Christ (he isn't really; he just plays one on TV). What an absolute disgrace.

Monk

Update, 24 Aug: A reader at NRO's Corner has some good perspective:

I know you’re sick of hearing about him, but a few words from an evangelical are in order.

First, Pat Robertson is often misunderestimated. He has a law degree from Yale Law School, and the monolith organization “700 Club” was started by him from scratch. He’s a very smart and shrewd man.

Second, he relies strictly on the paranormal / emotional / ”miraculous” to forward his ministry. The 700 Club tracks what type of segments on their shows produce the most calls for people to donate, and over the years they’ve figured out it’s not “Jesus came to save that which was lost” that produces the cash, but rather “Ma boy Tommy, he busted-up his leg real good, but this angel come while he was sleeping and he healed it up real nice.”

Third, Robertson is an absurdly rich man. He has made tens of millions off of para-ministry investments with 700 Club funds, including mines in Africa in countries where he has had “revivals”. This is all documented, but he hasn’t done anything illegal, yet.

Lastly, his theology is perfectly awful. I don’t care if you’re Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, or whatever, you don’t have to be Augustine to see how shoddy his doctrine is, or how he uses his aberrant form of Christianity to make himself famous (which no apostle ever did).

Amen to all that, brother: famous and fabulously wealthy. On that note, here's The Door's article on him from last year:

"I'm still a little overwhelmed," Robertson told reporters outside George's Restaurant before the ceremony. "To think that a poor little rich kid like me could amass an even bigger fortune simply by following my most mercenary instincts – and by saying it was the will of God! My obscene wealth is proof once again, as a wise man once said, there really is one born every minute."

Monk