Toronto Star: Chavez owes Pat Robertson a big thanks

[Bluebear]

We won't even pretend to have given television evangelist Pat Robertson's latest obnoxious utterance much thought, considering his long history of pious bloviations that have made him come across to most Americans as, well, witless.

Were it not for the widespread attention being given in Latin America to Robertson's call on Monday for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, we would have preferred to allow the Christian Coalition's founder to continue his slide from America's mainstream into the obscurity he has so richly earned. But his latest bit of foolery is worth a comment or two — if for no other reason than Robertson, in an act of stupidity only he could outdo, has handed Fidel Castro's acolyte a propaganda gift of immeasurable value....

Enter Robertson. It's a pity Venezuelans don't know that The 700 Clubbroadcaster is a fading shadow of the Republican party figure he once was. That Robertson once ran for his party's nomination, built a conservative religious advocacy group that had aspiring office-seekers quaking in their boots and — entrepreneur that he is — befriended every sub-Saharan kleptomaniac he managed to meet.

Even the Bush administration can't bring itself to censure a fellow conservative who publicly calls for his country to break the law.
"Inappropriate," the State Department managed to say. The White House, embarrassed by Robertson yet again but too afraid to mix it up with his narrow but loyal base of support, simply averts its gaze.

For all that, Chavez owes Robertson a thank-you note.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1125094211582&call_pageid=968256290204&col=968350116795

[saigon68]

1. his long history of pious bloviations

LOL

[Bluebear]

6. Isn't that a great phrase??

O, Canada!

[saigon68]

7. You have to admire the power of English

The author shows a Knack for the ability to use the power of the language.

Its going to be hard not to appropriate the phrase. It is so on target.

[Missy M]

2. I don't know if I totally agree with what was written in this editorial..

I think Robertson still has a pretty large base of followers. The editorial goes on to diss Chavez and at the bottom of the article is a note saying it was an editorial that appeared in the Washington Post.

[scarletwoman]

5. Good point -- and not surprising that the WaPo disses Chavez,

being one of the house organs of the Ruling Class.

Here's the link to the WaPo original:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/24/AR2005082401899_pf.html

sw

[kentuck]

3. God works in mysterious ways...

Robertson may have saved Chavez's life. Because there actually may have been a plan to assassinate him. His comments may have put that on the back burner.

[Dr.Phool]

4. According to Democracy Now! yesterday morning.

Amy Goodman said his remarks were hardly spontaneous or off the cuff. It seems that Donald Rumsfeld was in South America that day trying to drum up some anti- Chavez sentiment.

Anybody else think he got a call from Karl Rove or Karen Hughes, telling him to spout this crap?