President Bush owes his election to Christians. Karl Rove, the president’s chief political adviser, has proven masterful at shaping a message that appeals to Christians, especially evangelical Christians. Rove has had Bush show up at numerous prayer meetings, this administration’s agenda is the same as the Christian right’s. Bush is often in church, and unlike most presidents, has made his faith a central issue and admitted to relying on god when making important decisions; sending American forces into an ill-advised and ill-prepared war, for example.

So the Christians have been good for Bush. But there seems to be a price for getting so close to these groups. Pat Robertson, a television evangelist and purported journalist, on his show The 700 Club said that the United States should assassinate the president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, saying, “We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability. We don’t need another $200bn war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator.” BBC

But Robertson is a private citizen and is allowed to say whatever he wants, right? Sure, he can say whatever he wants. The danger is that Bush has become so close to these groups that whatever they say seems like it’s also coming from the administration and may be U.S. policy. So now Venezuela is in uproar, and with good reason it would seem.

So, why do people want this guy dead? Because he’s a dictator, they say, ignoring the fact that he’s been elected. Twice. But he is a socialist and a close friend of Castro. But what’s more important that any of that is the fact that he supplies us with 1.5 million barrels of oil a day and is the fourth largest supplier of oil to our country.

But we’re all for freedom and democracy, right?