OK, just one more post about Pat Robertson and his comments arguing that Ariel Sharon’s massive stroke was divine punishment for pulling Israel out of the Gaza Strip. Now that the infamous TV preacher has put a serious business deal in Israel at risk with his lunacy, Robertson wants everyone to know he’s really sorry. Well, sort of.
“My zeal, my love of Israel and my concern for the future safety of your nation led me to make remarks which I can now view in retrospect as inappropriate and insensitive in light of a national grief experienced because of your father’s illness,” Robertson wrote [in a letter to Sharon’s son, Omri].
In his letter, Robertson expressed “profound sympathy” for Sharon, who is making slight improvements after the cerebral hemorrhage he suffered last week. Robertson also called the 77-year-old leader “a kind, gracious and gentle man” who was “carrying an almost insurmountable burden of making decisions for his nation.”
He added, “I ask your forgiveness and the forgiveness of the people of Israel for saying what was clearly insensitive at the time.”
There are a few things to consider in response to this. First, notice that the “apology” was not forthcoming until a $50 million deal involving a proposed Christian Heritage Center in Israel was put in jeopardy. It kind of brings Robertson’s sincerity into question.
Second, if you read Robertson’s letter closely, he apologizes for having been “insensitive,” but never actually retracts or recants the remarks that caused the trouble in the first place. Robertson told his TV audience that Sharon was being punished by God. In his letter yesterday, Robertson didn’t take that back; he instead suggested his timing was “inappropriate.” In other words, Robertson still believes Sharon’s stroke was divine retribution, but he’s sorry he said so on national television while Sharon was fighting for his life. I’d call this many things, but an “apology” isn’t one of them.
And third, there’s an amusing pattern to all of this.
Robertson starts with his insanity, followed by an insistence that he’s right and his critics are wrong to criticize him. This is soon followed by an assertion that his original comments were taken out of context. Ultimately, Robertson wraps things up with an insincere apology that expresses no genuine regret.
Now, compare this example to Robertson’s flap over calling for Hugo Chavez’s assassination. We start with the insanity, followed by an insistence that he’s right and his critics were wrong to criticize him. This was soon followed by an assertion that he’d been misquoted. Ultimately, Robertson wrapped things up with an insincere apology that expressed no genuine regret.
When Robertson blamed 9/11 on Americans, the exact same thing happened. And, I suspect, all of this will happen again fairly soon. Poor Pat just can’t help himself.