Robertson sorry, says he didn't say 'assassinate'

Facing criticism from fellow evangelical Christians, the conservative broadcaster Pat Robertson apologized Wednesday for calling for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, while denying on his program that he had ever used the word.

"Is it right to call for assassination? No, and I apologize for that statement," Robertson said in a statement. "I spoke in frustration that we should accommodate the man who thinks the U.S. is out to kill him."

But Robertson insisted on his television show that his words had been misinterpreted by The Associated Press and that he had never spoken of assassination.

"I said our special forces should 'take him out,' " Robertson told his audience on "The 700 Club." 'Take him out' could be a number of things, including kidnapping."

The video from Monday's telecast, easily available on the Internet, shows Robertson saying of the Venezuelan president: "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. It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war, and I don't think any oil shipments will stop." Robertson went on at length about Chavez, suggesting that "covert operatives" could "do the job and then get it over with."

Robertson's apology came amid growing criticism of his comments from religious leaders. The World Evangelical Alliance issued a statement saying, "Robertson does not speak for evangelical Christians. We believe in justice and the protection of human rights of all people, including the life of President Chavez."