Pat Robertson wants to assassinate Chavez
Self-proclaimed "religious figure" Pat Robertson wants to assassinate (well, wants the US to assassinate, anway) Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. No, I'm not shitting you; here it is, as spoken to his audience on his TV show "the 700 club":
``You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him [Chavez], I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it. We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability. We don't need another $200 billion war to get rid of one strong-arm dictator [Chavez was and is the elected leader of his country]. It's a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with.''
CNN reports that Chavez had this to say after being told about Robertson's calls for his head: ``I don't know who that person is. As far as his opinion of me goes, I couldn't care less.''
The also go on to say, ``Assassinations of world leaders have been forbidden since 1976 under an executive order from then-President Gerald Ford. The rule came after congressional hearings in the 1970s documented numerous CIA attempts to kill Castro and U.S. interference in the politics of several other Latin American countries.''
For his part, Pat clarifies his statements on his Web site, repeating his false claim that Chavez is a dictator, ``I want to take this opportunity to clarify remarks made on the Monday, August 22nd edition of The 700 Club where I adlibbed a comment following a very brilliant analysis by Dale Hurd of the danger that the United States faces from the out-of-control dictator of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez.''
He goes on to provide "context" for his statements which includes, ``If you look back just a few years, there was a popular coup that overthrew him; and what did the United States State Department do about it? Virtually nothing; and as a result, within about 48 hours, that coup was broken, Chavez was back in power. But we had a chance to move in.''
So, the allegedly-US-backed coup attempt in 2002 — which the US did respond to, as the only "Western" power to endorce the newly-coup-installed dictatorship within hours — was actually an opportunity for the US to further (?) fuck with them? Riiiiight...
Anyway, Pat goes on, ``Is it right to call for assassination? No, and I apologize for that statement. I spoke in frustration that we should accommodate the man who thinks the U.S. is out to kill him.'' He then goes on to mutter some bullshit comparing Chavez and Venezuela to Hitler and Nazi Germany. Godwin, as they say.
Worryingly, he concludes, ``In any event, the incredible publicity surrounding my remarks has focused our governments attention on a growing problem which has been largely ignored.'' Let's not forget that Robertson was (and is) a mojor funding source for Bush and the Republicans; could this be the first shot in some sort of run-up to "dealing with" Venezuela? Rember, they are usually in the top-5 suppliers for US oil (details here).