Time to Retire, Pat

By now you have heard the rantings of the founder of the Christian Coalition and winner of the 1988 Republican primary in Iowa, Pat Robertson, who called for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez;

...I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think 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...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-dollar war to get rid of one strong-arm dictator. It's a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with.

Well, today Pat apologized, kinda. He isssued this "clarification";

...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.

But then, on today's show (click on "watch now"...the relevant comment is about 9 minutes, 30 seconds into the show), he claims he was "misinterpreted";

...I said our special forces should 'take him out.' 'Take him out' could be a number of things, including kidnapping...I was misinterpreted by the AP, but that happens all the time...

Umm, Pat? You said, "...if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think we really ought to go ahead and do it." Pretty hard to "misinterpret" that, it seems to me.

Which Pat shall we believe? The one who wrote the "clarification," or the one who claims on his show that is broadcasted three times a day on ABC Family that he was "misinterpreted"?

The 700 Club claims they have a million viewers around the world. In this country, it is debatable how much weight Pat still carries. But around the world, he is still a prominent voice for Christianity. These kind of twisted statements perpetuate the idea that Christians are encouraging the notion of "Jesus as the New Rambo." So, even if we see Pat as an old eccentric whose time has come and gone, we still need to say loudly that this kind of sick thinking does not represent the Christian faith. You can contact ABC Family and voice your objection to Pat Robertson's insanity here.

Personally, I think that Pat has consumed too many of his own "Age Defying Protein Pancakes" and the "secret formula" has started to warp his mind.

Pat, I think it is way past time that you retired from broadcasting. Why don't you go have a seat in that rocker over there? Yes, the one next to General Boykin. And wipe that drool off your chin. Have you lost all semblance of dignity?

J.