Venezuela reacted with outrage to a call by television evangelist Pat Robertson for the U.S. to assassinate President Huge Chavez, and two U.S. senators called the remarks “irresponsible” and “incredibly stupid.”
Robertson’s statement was “incredibly stupid” and “has no reflection on reality,” U.S. Senator Norm Coleman, a Republican from Minnesota who is chairman of the Senate’s Foreign Relations subcommittee on the western hemisphere.
U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said at a press briefing in Washington that Robertson’s views “do not represent the policy of the United States.”
Well, that’s a load of rubbish. The US tried to overthrow Chavez and I’m guessing he wouldn’t have lived long had they succeeded.
For a bit of comic relief, check this –
The Bush administration also forcefully distanced itself from Robertson’s comments on Tuesday.
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said: “Our department doesn’t do that kind of thing. It’s against the law.“
Note the odd syntax, “our department”, almost implying that others may be doing just that.
And why did Coleman call Robertson’s comments “incredibly stupid?” Because Venezuela has been threatening to cut off oil supplies to the U.S., and Robertson’s lunatic ramblings may well hasten that happening.