8 MILLION REASONS TO TURN A BLIND EYE

Robertson defends Liberian president: Christian Coalition founder blames U.S. State Department (Alan Cooperman, 7/10/03, THE WASHINGTON POST)

IN RECENT BROADCASTS of his cable TV show "The 700 Club," watched by an estimated 1 million households, [The Reverend Pat] Robertson has defended Taylor as a fellow Baptist and Liberia's "freely elected" leader. The "horrible bloodbath" taking place in Liberia, he has repeatedly said, is the fault of the State Department.

"So we're undermining a Christian, Baptist president to bring in Muslim rebels to take over the country. And how dare the president of the United States say to the duly elected president of another country, `You've got to step down,' " Robertson said to his viewers on Monday.

What Robertson, 73, has not discussed in these broadcasts is his financial interest in Liberia. In an interview yesterday, he said he has "written off in my own mind" an $8 million investment in a gold mining venture that he made four years ago under an agreement with Taylor's government.

Yet, he added: "Hope springs eternal. Once the dust has cleared on this thing, chances are there will be some investors from someplace who want to invest. If I could find some people to sell it to, I'd be more than delighted."

Other Baptist and evangelical Christian leaders said they do not share either Robertson's support for Taylor or his criticism of President Bush's call for the Liberian leader to go into exile. "I would say that Pat Robertson is way out on his own, in a leaking life raft, on this one," said Richard Land, head of the Southern Baptist Convention's public policy arm.

The Brothers Judd come from generations of Baptist ministers and, believe us, none of them had $8 million to toss around. Posted by Orrin Judd at July 10, 2003 6:40 PM