Televangelist Calls for Chavez' Death

AP

Aug 22 11:06 PM US/Eastern

VIRGINIA BEACH,
Va.

Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson called on Monday for the
assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, calling him a "terrific
danger" to the United
States.

Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition of America and a former presidential candidate,
said on "The 700 Club" it was the United
States' duty to stop Chavez from making Venezuela a
"launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism."

Chavez has emerged as one of the most outspoken critics of
President Bush, accusing the United
States of conspiring to topple his
government and possibly backing plots to assassinate him. U.S. officials
have called the accusations ridiculous.

"You know, I don't know about this doctrine of
assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that
we really ought to go ahead and do it," Robertson said. "It's a whole
lot cheaper than starting a war ... and I don't think any oil shipments will
stop."

Electronic pages and a message to a Robertson spokeswoman
were not immediately returned Monday evening.

Venezuela
is the fifth largest oil exporter and a major supplier of oil to the United States.
The CIA estimates that U.S.
markets absorb almost 59 percent of Venezuela's total exports.

Venezuela's
government has demanded in the past that the United
States crack down on Cuban and Venezuelan
"terrorists" in Florida
who they say are conspiring against Chavez.

Robertson accused the United States of failing to act
when Chavez was briefly overthrown in 2002.

"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, you know, strong-arm dictator," he continued. "It's a whole lot
easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over
with."