The New York Times provides this article and AP video footage of Pat Robertson‘s remarkably lunatic 700 Club commentary calling for U.S. “covert operatives” to assassinate Hugo Chavez:
“We have the ability to take him out. And the time has come to exercise that ability. We don’t need another $200-billion war to get rid of one strong-arm dictator. It’s a whole lot easier [having] some covert operatives do the job and 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.
But this man is a terrific danger to the United States. This is in our sphere of influence and we can’t let this happen. We have the Monroe Doctrine, we have other doctrines that we have announced and without question this is a dangerous enemy to our south controlling a huge pool of oil that could hurt us very badly.”
Who Put Robertson Up to It?
What’re the odds that Don Rumsfeld or Cheney put Pat Robertson up to this as a plausibly deniable warning shot across Chavez’ bow? I know it’s highly speculative but with this loony administration could you absolutely rule it out as a possibility? Here’s another question: if this thought came to Robertson’s twisted mind, don’t you think it’s entered the minds of some other spooks in high places who probably have a plan already on the drawing boards?
I notice Rumsfeld’s pre-emptive denial:
“Certainly it’s against the law. Our department doesn’t do that type of thing.” He added, “Private citizens say all kinds of things all the time.”
You notice he said “our department,” but what about another department like, say, the CIA?
I also note that though Defense and State have denounced the statement, we haven’t heard from Porter Goss or John Negroponte, whose agencies would be most likely to plan and conduct such an operation.
Of course, this rumor of a Chavez assassination has been making the rounds so Robertson need not have heard it from within the Bush Administration. But I’d dearly love an enterprising journalist (there are some out there aren’t there?) to ask Rummy, Negroponte, Bush, Cheney, etc. whether anyone in this Administration has had any conversation with Robertson related to Chavez.
Man of God?
Pat Robertson’s supposed to be (or least to have been) a man of God. He’s one of the senior leaders of the evangelical movement in fact he practically invented it with Jerry Falwell. I don’t care how fast other evangelical leaders backpedal from this nuttiness. One of their own, in fact their biggest kahuna, has publicly asked for a man to be murdered in cold blood. Let the rest of America take notice–this IS the evangelical movement. If you want your country to resemble the brain of this man, then embrace the values he represents. If not, resist with all you heart and soul.
