Pat Robertson calls for assassination


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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Conservative U.S. evangelist Pat Robertson called for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, but top U.S. officials denied on Tuesday that any such act was being contemplated -- and noted it would be illegal.

The founder of the Christian Coalition said during the Monday night television broadcast of his religious program, "The 700 Club," that Chavez, one the most vocal critics of President George W. Bush, was a "terrific danger" to the United States and wanted his country to become "the launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism.

"We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability," Robertson said.

"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."

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld dismissed Robertson's remarks.

"Certainly it's against the law. Our department doesn't do that type of thing," Rumsfeld told reporters in response to a question.

Both he and State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the remarks were from a private citizen and did not represent the U.S. government position. "Private citizens say all kinds of things all the time," Rumsfeld added.

In Caracas, Venezuelan Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel said, "This is a huge hypocrisy to maintain an anti-terrorist line and at the same time have such terrorist statements as these made by Christian preacher Pat Robertson coming from the same country."

The leftist Chavez has often accused the United States of plotting his overthrow or assassination. Alongside his ally Cuban leader Fidel Castro in Havana on Sunday, Chavez scoffed at the idea that he and Castro were destabilizing troublemakers in Latin America.

While McCormack reiterated U.S. concern over Venezuela's "behavior" toward some of its neighbors, he added:

"Any accusations or any idea that we are planning to take hostile action against Venezuela or the Venezuelan government -- any ideas in that regard are totally without fact and baseless."

In his broadcast, Robertson said: "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."

Venezuela is the world's fifth largest oil exporter and a major supplier to the United States.

A Robertson spokeswoman said he had no further comment at this point.

"Right now Dr. Robertson does not have a statement and he's not doing any media interviews," she said.

The Rev. Barry Lynn of Americans United for Separation of Church and State urged Bush to condemn Robertson's comments. "This is just the kind of religious fanaticism that the world does not need more of," Lynn said.

This was the most recent example of Robertson's controversial remarks. Criticizing the State Department in 2003, he said "maybe we need a very small nuke thrown off on Foggy Bottom to shake things up."

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher had called the remark "despicable."

Late in the 2004 presidential race, Robertson told CNN that during a meeting with Bush prior to the invasion of Iraq, the president told him he did not believe there would be casualties. The White House strongly denied the claim.

Robertson's "700 Club" reaches an average of 1 million American viewers daily, according to his Web site. He ran for the Republican Party's presidential nomination in 1988.

Source.

Frickin' awesome. I love it when religious leaders endorse violence ? it's worked so well in the past. And I'll bet if Jesus was walking the earth today, he'd be, like, a totally new, hard-ass Heavenly Savior for the new century, and all for killin' fools in His Sacred Name.

Is it just me, or do most extremist religious fanatics ? whether they be from the US or the Arab world ? have a little more in common with each other than they'd like to admit?

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Pat Robertson = Christian Extremism

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I'm a Christian Extremist, however, I completely disagree with this nut :wacko:

I don't know who could ever call this man a Christian either, he's in it for the money, not the Godly gift of eternal salvation (at least, from my view point anyway).

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yea well thats all and nice but who in the hell with half a brain would listen to anything that that idiot says. i watch him sometimes just to get a nice laugh before the daily show, lol.

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I'm a Christian Extremist, however, I completely disagree with this nut :wacko:

I don't know who could ever call this man a Christian either, he's in it for the money, not the Godly gift of eternal salvation (at least, from my view point anyway).

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Sadly most seem to be that way that I watch on TV, sitting in goldesque chairs, with all this expensive jewelry and the sort, drives me nuts.

Although I figured people have tuned him out after his "nuke the State Department" comment, guess people are still listening.

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Yeah thats what you get when two extremeists come together. While this guy is basically the next Fidel Castro and probably isn't worth the money and bullet that we would have to use to assassinate him, assassinating him is just crazy. Not that he wouldn't want to assassinate Bush, but what do you expect from people like them.

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Keep that crap out.? I'm sure we could identify a few nutcase scientists.

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Sorry,;)) i should've thought a lil more clearer when responding. What boggles me is how an individual with a mindet such as this guy comes into power?:huh::

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Sorry, ;) i should've thought a lil more clearer when responding. What boggles me is how an individual with a mindet such as this guy comes into power? :huh:

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The same way a guy like Chavez comes to power.

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Money and access to a TV show? :p

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Nah, more like ideological hatred, vilifying so called enemies and playing hatreds to get people to rally behind him, that kind of thing.

I REALLY hope you're joking.

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Yeah it is pretty rediculous at how a dick like this guy controlls the weak minds and opinions of thousands of people. Honestly L Ron Hubbard had it right take advantage of people using religion and make maddddd cashhhh.

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pat is craked, how a christian leader will ask to violate a religion rules to take the life of another person, he is insane, that's why I don't trust religion, is just a business in which in the name of god they became rich

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ahh what an attitude.  "screw diplomacy!  let's just kill people."

i suppose he missed the notice on hypocrisy.

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"he didn't get the memo" :laugh:

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pat robertson is now a sponsor of terrorism no matter how you look at it he should be shipped off to guantanamo bay

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Actually, I think that fits. If we're going to label clerics and the like who advocate murder as terrorists or supporters of terrorists, then we should do the same to this guy.

****, if we're going to become that kind of country, we might as well do it fairly.

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pat robertson is now a sponsor of terrorism no matter how you look at it he should be shipped off to guantanamo bay

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Actually, I think that fits.  If we're going to label clerics and the like who advocate murder as terrorists or supporters of terrorists, then we should do the same to this guy.

****, if we're going to become that kind of country, we might as well do it fairly.

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These were my thoughts as well whne I read the article. Also, where are the "moderate Chirstian groups" publicly decrying these statements? After all, that is what we have been expecting of the Muslims, right?

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Robertson: I Didn't Say 'Assassination'

Religious broadcaster says he was misquoted about Venezuelan President

Sure Pat, we all believe you :rofl:

pat robertson is now a sponsor of terrorism no matter how you look at it he should be shipped off to guantanamo bay

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What about baby killers? You know those that kill unborn children? Let's send them to G'itmo too!

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