Talking Snake Speaks with Forked Tongue
Pat Robertson and the truth have once again been parted like the Red Sea.
“If he thinks we’re trying to assassinate him, I think we really ought to go ahead and do it.”
(August 22, 2005) [source]
“I didn’t say ‘assassination.’ I said our special forces should ‘take him out.’ And ‘take him out’ can be a number of things, including kidnapping; there are a number of ways to take out a dictator from power besides killing him. I was misinterpreted by the AP [Associated Press], but that happens all the time.”
(August 24, 2005) [source]
He’s so plainly lying that it doesn’t even warrant commenting. On the same day as that last statement, Robertson also ADMITTED making the statement, APOLOGIZED for it and then DEFENDED it. This is nothing new for Robertson, though. He has a history of blatantly lying to the American people when he realizes that he has accidentally allowed a tiny bit of his true agenda to show through. Returning to Positive Atheism’s Big Scary List of Pat Robertson Quotations, we find the following:
“Individual Christians are the only ones really — and Jewish people, those who trust God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — are the only ones that are qualified to have the reign, because hopefully, they will be governed by God and submit to Him.”
(700 Club, January 11, 1985)
When Time magazine asked him to clarify this absurd position, Robertson said “I never said that in my life … I never said only Christians and Jews. I never said that.” That must have been hard for him to say, though, because he later told The New World Order, “When I said during my presidential bid that I would only bring Christians and Jews into the government, I hit a firestorm. ‘What do you mean?’ the media challenged me. ‘You’re not going to bring atheists into the government? How dare you maintain that those who believe in the Judeo-Christian values are better qualified to govern America than Hindus and Muslims?’ My simple answer is, ‘Yes, they are.’” If Robertson can’t decide what to say, even after he has said it, maybe he shouldn’t be on television.
What annoys me almost as much as his duplicity is the nature of the headlines in the mainstream media:
CNN – “Robertson apologizes for call to kill Chavez”
CBS – “Robertson Apologizes”
New York Times – “Robertson Apologizes but Says He Was ‘Misinterpreted’”
MSNBC – “Robertson apologizes for Chavez comment”
FOX News – “Robertson Apologizes for Chavez Remark”
The list could go on and on. The New York Times is the only one even coming close to describing what happened. The word “deny” just doesn’t show up until you get down to the blogs and small, local newspapers. The stories have the real info for those who are interested enough to read the whole thing, but the people skimming the headlines have no idea.
~I AM~
August 25th, 2005 at at 12:36 am
We give this guy too much attention. Waayyy too much.
August 25th, 2005 at at 1:45 am
If you’re a news writer, and you’re assigned to write today’s Pat Robertson story, how can you possibly write it without using the words lie, lying, lied, or liar?
August 25th, 2005 at at 2:07 am
The point about the headlines is extremely true. We live in such a sound bite world nowadays, it’s very easy for details to slip under the cracks. It’s sort of sad, but when you have an apathetic and uneducated public, no wonder religion is prominent and Bush got elected again. I’m not trying to start a debate, but if’you’re an atheist and a supporter of Bush, just remember he once said Atheists were un-American because this is one nation under god.
August 25th, 2005 at at 10:28 am
Unfortunately this strategy of Pat Robertson of saying he was “misinterpreted” probably worked for the most part. Christians at home simply reading the headlines would be like “oh, that makes more sense, what a ruckus over nothing! stupid liberal media! praise jesus!”. For those who watch TV news I think they saw that Robertson blatantly said assassination but that’s a small segment of the population. What really upset me though is the newscasters who would say “but is he right?”. Saying that Pat Robertson’s statement is correct also warrants an apology in my book.
August 25th, 2005 at at 11:40 am
It’s frightening, it honestly scares the cheese out of me that someone who is like that could have such an easy way to spread his views.
Oh, and C_Ray: I think Bushie was reelected becuase the we’re in a war, and its not a good idea to change leaders during a war. That’s the only logical answer I can think of to reelect Bush after how he fucked up the nation in his first term. Not that it’s a good reason, but it’s the only one I can think of.
August 25th, 2005 at at 11:47 am
No, the CHRISTIAN RIGHT gives this guy way too much attention. Robertson still commands the opinions of at least 2 million voting Americans. Thats alot.
Interesting thing to point out, I AM… about how the headlines all say that he apologizes when he really just lied and denied.
Maybe a Venezuelan operative should assassinate Pat instead?
August 25th, 2005 at at 12:44 pm
What we really need is to catch Pat in a Jimmy Baker style scandal. Even better would be to catch him with his gay lover. If that happened we would never hear from him again. I wonder how we could arrange that… (visions of M*A*S*H and bad Three’s Company episodes come to mind).
Is it my imagination or did that last statement make me sound old?
August 25th, 2005 at at 12:50 pm
We HAVE to pay attention to this guy. He’s still a major player in the culture wars. What I love about all of the hubbub his comment created is watching (almost) all of the other evangelical groups coming out with statements denouncing premeditated murder as un-Christian. Heh. It just warms my heart to see that they have to spell out their spiritual position on assasination.
August 25th, 2005 at at 2:15 pm
What I wonder is, what else is happening in the world that is much, much more important but that no one wants us to know about?
August 25th, 2005 at at 6:18 pm
I thought Bush Sr. said atheists were unamerican, not Jr. or whatever.
August 25th, 2005 at at 7:02 pm
This guy is fucking screwed up. (Sorry if you don’t like swearing I try to only use it when I’m REALLY pissed off)
August 25th, 2005 at at 9:11 pm
As a xian, it’s his right to do pretty much anything he wants and then “apologize” his way out of it.
He’s gettin’ pretty far along in years, so he’s gotta get all the practice in that he can.
And shoudln’t/don’t these fundie xtians ultimately disagree with the Jews even more so? Why would they (or xtians of differing denominations) be in Pat’s government.
There was a time when the phrase “Pat’s gov’t” would induce nightmares. Crazy what living under the Bush II Regime has done to my comfort level.
August 26th, 2005 at at 6:46 am
Heres where I got that quote from:
—
The following exchange took place at the Chicago airport between Robert I. Sherman of American Atheist Press and George Bush, on August 27 1987. Sherman is a fully accredited reporter, and was present by invitation as a member of the press corps. The Republican presidential nominee was there to announce federal disaster relief for Illinois. The discussion turned to the presidential primary:
RS:”What will you do to win the votes of Americans who are atheists?”
GB:”I guess I’m pretty weak in the atheist community. Faith in God is important to me.”
RS:”Surely you recognize the equal citizenship and patriotism of Americans who are atheists?”
GB:”No, I don’t know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.”
RS:”Do you support as a sound constitutional principle the separation of state and church?”
GB: “Yes, I support the separation of church and state. I’m just not very high on atheists.”
—
Source:
http://www.infidels.org/news/atheism/arguments.html#bush
August 26th, 2005 at at 6:47 am
I’m stupid… it was Senior (just read his own post a little closer)
This is why I don’t own a gun
August 26th, 2005 at at 11:05 am
It’s sad, it’s really sad. It seems sad if you look at it, but if you really zoom out and look at it from a different angle.
This is the president (or was the president) of a nation in which I live. And he openly said that I was not welcome here. And also, whenever Jr. comes onto TV, I turn it off. That just seemes really, really sad to me.
I’m gonna go off into a corner and listen to “Wake Me Up When September Ends.”
August 28th, 2005 at at 9:03 pm
Just one more example of a duplicitous, hypocritical, fundamentalist, raving looney. I’d laugh if it wasn’t so bloody frightening.
p.s How can someone look like that and still deny evolution?