NEW YORK -- Statements broadcast last week by television evangelist and former U.S. presidential candidate Pat Robertson throw a disturbing light on the influence of religion in American politics. Robertson told his audience that American agents should assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to stop his country from becoming a "launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism."
Talking on the Christian Broadcast Network, Robertson remarked that the United States doesn't need another $200 billion war to get rid of a strong-arm dictator; some covert operatives could easily do that job. "This," he said, "is a lot cheaper than starting a war."
In the past few years Chavez has become one of the most outspoken critics of U.S. President George W. Bush's policies, and has accused Bush on repeated occasions of trying to assassinate him, a charge that U.S. officials call ridiculous. By contrast, Robertson said the Lord has blessed Bush, and "it doesn't make any difference what he does, good or bad. God picks him up because he is a man of prayer and God is blessing him."