He doesn't just look like Dopey

One thing you can always count on prominent televangelists for, is to stick a foot in their mouths. Normally it's Jerry Falwell, who faithfully commits some sort of faux pas about two or three times a year. But this time, it was Pat Robertson:

Robertson told viewers of his longtime show, "The 700 Club," on Monday Chavez is "a terrific danger" bent on exporting Communism and Islamic extremism across the Americas.

"If he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it," Robertson told viewers on his "The 700 Club" show Monday. "It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war." . . .

"We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability," Robertson said. "We don't need another $200 billion 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."

[Full Story, emphasis added]

Congratulations, Pat Robertson. We are used to you shooting off your mouth on television, but since this time you have singlehandedly created a diplomatic snafu, you are the next lucky winner of the coveted DIM BULB du jour. Millions of voting Americans collectively sigh with relief that they ignored your 1988 presidential campaign.

Besides, which part of "Thou shalt not kill" don't you understand?