Pat Robertson says Bush expected zero casualties

[Bobby Sands]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A49088-2004Oct20?language=printer

Bush Predicted No Iraq Casualties, Robertson Says

By Alan Cooperman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 21, 2004; Page A09

The Rev. Pat Robertson said President Bush dismissed his warning that the United States would suffer heavy casualties in Iraq and told the television evangelist just before the beginning of the war that "we're not going to have any casualties."

Robertson related the conversation during an interview with CNN late Tuesday. He said he spoke to Bush before the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 and urged him to prepare the nation for heavy casualties. While Bush's response was a mistake, Robertson said, God has blessed the president anyhow.

Sen. John F. Kerry's campaign pounced on the remarks yesterday.

"We believe President Bush should get the benefit of the doubt here, but he needs to come forward and answer a very simple question," Kerry adviser Mike McCurry said in a statement. "Is Pat Robertson telling the truth when he said you didn't think there'd be any casualties, or is Pat Robertson lying?"

White House political adviser Karl Rove told reporters that Bush never said he did not expect casualties. "I was right there," Rove said of the president's conversation with Robertson.

In a statement yesterday, Robertson did not back away from his comments about Bush and said, "I emphatically stated that I believe 'the blessing of heaven is upon him,' and I am persuaded that he will win this election and prevail on the war against terror."

Robertson, who made a bid for the GOP presidential nomination in 1988, has repeatedly suggested on his "700 Club" cable television show that he believes God favors Bush's reelection. But he denied in Tuesday's interview with CNN's Paula Zahn that he has tried to instruct Christians on how to vote.

"I just said, I think God's blessing him, and I think it's one of those things that, even if he stumbles and messes up -- and he's had his share of goofs and gaffes -- I just think God's blessing is on him. And you remember, I think the Chinese used to say, you know, it's the blessing of heaven on the emperor. And I think the blessing of heaven is on Bush. It's just the way it is," Robertson said.

Asked about Bush's mistakes, the evangelist recalled: "I met with him down in Nashville before the Gulf war started. And he was the most self-assured man I ever met in my life." Borrowing a line from Mark Twain, Robertson said Bush looked "like a contented Christian with four aces."

"He was just sitting there, like, I'm on top of the world, and I warned him about this war. I had deep misgivings about this war, deep misgivings. And I was trying to say, 'Mr. President, you better prepare the American people for casualties,' " Robertson said.

"Oh, no, we're not going to have any casualties," Robertson quoted Bush as saying. " 'Well,' I said, 'it's the way it's going to be. . . . The Lord told me it was going to be, A, a disaster and, B, messy.' "

[Skirita]

Umm... Are you trying to present a televangelist as a credible source?

[Kasca]

BUSH seems to think he's a credible sourse, he has him to the White House. It's not what -we- think, it's that the _President_ thinks he is.

Didn't Bush tell Woodward that his own father was not a credible source when Woodward asked if he had spoken with his father who had the experience of going to war against Iraq?

Bush reponsed that he wasn't going to talk to his earthly father, he talked to a -higher- father about Iraq.

What Would Jesus Do? Bomb the shit out of Iraq?

[Romeo247]

Umm... Are you trying to present a televangelist as a credible source?

well said lmaoooo

[Skirita]

What Would Jesus Do? Bomb the shit out of Iraq?

Probably the same thing that Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny would do. If you can track either one down and find out, let me know.

[Kasca]

Probably the same thing that Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny would do. If you can track either one down and find out, let me know.


>>What does Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny have to do with this? Jesus was a historical figure; millions across the world profess to follow his teachings.

If Jesus was a mythological figure you'd better tell our President; he old Bill O'Reilly he was his hero.

[GeneTherapy]

Umm... Are you trying to present a televangelist as a credible source?

If he's not credible, what's he doing in the White House chatting with the Prez?

Since he is a hardcore supporter of the Prez, why would Robertson lie about their conversation?

[Skirita]

Alright you guys, I'm convinced. Everything Pat Robertson says must be true. Where do I send my check?

[Dutchy]

I like watching the 700 club (Pat Robertson). It actually has some of the best news and current events items on T.V. . Lots of good DP footage also. They had one special on Christians in North Korea that was excellent. On that same channel they have an hour long show once a week asking Christians to send money to oppressed Jews in Russia who are probably completely unaware that such a program exists and never see a dime of that money. They probably arent even Jewish.

[Kurt]

Pat believed in a version of "Remote Viewing", lots of "psychics" try to present themselves to Intel agencies as being able to "see" what the enemy is doing. The Soviets studied and rejected it. The CIA looked at some data from other sources and rejected it. Pat Robertson believed he could do and was willing to start another Cuban Missile Crisis because of it.

The guy is a crank, a rich crank, and GWB & Co. puts up with him because he provides a number of drooling footsoldiers to the various causes, and these people can squeeze money out of a stone too.

I doubt Bush believed or told Pat their would be zero casaulties, But I doubt Pat has any problems telling his flock that Bush thought their would be zero casualties.

[Prodigal Son]

The question is why would Pat Robertson say this about the president? His followers would find him credible and saying Bush had no idea what he was getting into isn't exactly a ringing endorsement.

Do you suppose this reflects a glimmering of disenchantment among Christian conservatives with the Bush administration? It's conceivable that many of them believe the war is a distraction from domestic "reform" and the enactment of conservative legislation at home that threatens their current hold on power.

[Dim]

Two things worth pointing out

1 - During the actual invasion there were virtually no casualties (I have the number 60 in my head for some reason?) The conflict involved various divisions of the Republican Guard being incinerated by air while the rest of the Iraqi army fled in the face of massive tank and artillery assault.

2 - The prevailing wisdom held that the Americans would be welcomed as liberators, not opressors. I doubt too many Generals thought this was very realistic but every account we've had of the current US regime suggests that they genuinly believed this and anyone who said otherwise was considered just shy of treason.

[Kasca]

[quote="Kurt"]The guy is a crank, a rich crank,

>>>Not entirely; Pat Robertson is a savvy politican, no backwoods yokel like Jim Baker was. Remember, he ran for Republican presidential nominee against Bush Senior in 1988. He has his own news organization, Christian Broadcasting Network, and has been involved in shadey business projects all over the world, the most awful being, the gold mines in Liberia with Charles Taylor.

Last year he called for the resignation of three US Supreme Court justices after they issued a ruling decriminalizing sodomy and asked his followers to pray for them to step down.

[mb]

Not likely, though there's certainly lots of crossover between politics and religion in that group too....

Isn't one of his various mining partners the notorious arms dealler kashogii?

isn't one of his M.O's to send 'relief' flights to poor 3rd world countries which just happen to have lots of diamonds and gold, and the flights don't come back empty.

there's also some conspirary theorist (though one who apparently did his research) which has some other buddies of his being tied to 9/11 (a bit circuiotosly, something like the contractor who runs his airport in the US is the same one whose only other business was to run the airport or flight school where some of the villans trained)

[patriot]

So I take it he's not a Catholic?

I'm a Catholic.