Robertson seems to talk first, think later

I'd like to give Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson the benefit of the doubt. I really would.

A couple of months ago, Robertson apologized for calling on the United States to assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Robertson, who made the remarks during a broadcast of his longtime television show "The 700 Club," described Chavez as a "terrific danger" bent on exporting communism and Islamic extremism across the Americas. (In fairness, Chavez is an outspoken critic of the United States and has close ties with Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, selling oil to communist Cuba at preferential rates.)

Robertson said, "If he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it."

In an apology posted on Robertson's Web site, Robertson wrote, "Is it right to call for assassination? No, and I apologize for that statement. I spoke in frustration that we should accommodate the man who thinks the U.S. is out to kill him."

Other than feeding the media machine for a few days, it's doubtful that Robertson's statements caused any long-term problems with international relations. Chavez said Robertson's call to assassinate him didn't matter to him. "I don't know who that person is," Chavez was quoted by CNN at the time. "As far as his opinion of me goes, I couldn't care less."

OK. So maybe Robertson got up on the wrong side of the bed that day. Who among us hasn't experienced a slip of the tongue?

Forgive and forget, right?

Except that Robertson seems to have a habit of saying outrageous things. In the past, he has suggested that a meteor could strike Florida because of unofficial "Gay Days" at Disney World, and that feminism caused women to kill their children, practice witchcraft and become lesbians.

This past week, Robertson took a new tack. He took on the voters of Dover Township, Pa., who ousted eight school board members who had voted to introduce intelligent design in the science curriculum, prompting a federal lawsuit by parents who said it was unconstitutional. The eight school board members were replaced with a slate of so-called "pro-evolution" candidates who say intelligent design does not belong in science class.

In an episode of "The 700 Club," Robertson said the people of Dover should not bother seeking God's help in a disaster because "you just voted God out of your city."

"I'd like to say to the good citizens of Dover: If there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God; you just rejected him from your city."