Bob Barr: It's that time, Robertson; exit the stage

[CatWoman]

By BOB BARR
Published on: 01/11/06
Sonny Bono had it. So did Ronald Reagan. And Charlton Heston. Pat Robertson does not. Timing — it can elevate an otherwise ordinary act or phrase to immortality. It can also render an otherwise positive action into a joke.

I used to marvel at the way Reagan, whether as governor of California or president of the United States, could disarm his detractors or fend off criticism with a simple joke at just the right time, delivered in just the right tone. Bono, as a member of Congress elected at the same time as I and many other Republicans in the fall of 1994, quickly proved to us, his colleagues, why he had been such a successful actor and comedian. He possessed an impeccable sense of timing. On more than one occasion, for example, as we in the Republican caucus were engaged in a particularly contentious private meeting, with tempers flaring, Bono would step to a microphone and deliver a brief, joke-laced monologue to break an impasse and cool things down. Often, his vehicle would be a hilarious and self-deprecating story about him or his former wife, Cher.

This brings us to the sorry state of Pat Robertson. In many respects an organizational genius, a truly gifted orator and a dedicated preacher, Robertson has failed to heed the example of such outstanding public figures as Reagan, Heston and Carson, and has overstayed his welcome. His pronouncements from the pulpit of his electronic ministry, "The 700 Club" — in August calling for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, and just last week labeling the severe stroke that has felled Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as God's vengeance for the political leader's move to pull back from the Gaza — illustrate graphically why one hallmark of true leadership is knowing when to remain silent and leave the podium. It is an attribute the Virginia minister clearly does not possess.

While Robertson continues to enjoy a significant following as a televangelist, rendering public statements that require massive, post-utterance explanation, and which cause well-deserved ridicule around the world, truly cannot represent a positive achievement for all he has worked for over the decades. Yet, he continues to do just this, and inevitably diminishes his legacy.

http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/stories/0111edbarr.html

[ladjf]

1. Pubs remained silent about Robertson's wild eyed rantings

when he was advocating the assassination of Chavez. But, the moment he crossed Israel he became "dead meat".

[underpants]

2. Problem is, he owns his own network

So he gets to stay on as long as he wants. I'll BET Barr and all the Republicans want him to go away. But of course he is so important that he gets to go to the Oval Office.

[BrainRants]

3. It may not be a bad thing for him to stick around

Having that albatross around their neck makes for good theater.

[depakid]

4. an otherwise positive action into a joke. LOL

I hope Robertson continues to speak out. He's only saying what a lot of them believe, anyway. At least he's honest about it.