Monday 9 January 2006

White House Meets With Robertson; Plan Video Blitz

Controversial Minister To Produce Al Qaeda-type Videos, Promising Death and Destruction, To Counter Bin Laden's

While distancing themselves from his most recent, over-the-top remarks, the White House confirmed a meeting with televangelist Pat Robertson that laid out plans for a new video blitz on the War on Terror, featuring the controversial and outspoken minister.

As a new element added to his Strategy For Victory In Iraq, President Bush, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld met for three hours in the Oval Office on Friday with the Robertson. The goal of the meeting, sources told The Garlic, was to see if the minister would employ his right-wing rhetoric for the U.S. Military.

"They've seen the success, the wide play in media of all those Al Qaeda videos, from Osama Bin Laden, or whoever is the Number Two guy that week" said Harold "Ace" Larson, an analyst for the counterintelligence think tank, 'Book'em and Beat'em'.

The most recent video from Al Qaeda came on January 6th, when No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahri called the United States' decision to withdraw some troops from Iraq represented "the victory of Islam" and called on Muslims to attack oil sites

"And, the administration is already on record with paying of stories, spiking the media over there."

Recently, on his religious news and variety show,"The 700 Club", broadcast on the Christian Broadcasting Network, It's Robertson said that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's stroke was divine punishment for "dividing God's land."

"God considers this land to be his. You read the Bible and he says `This is my land,' and for any prime minister of Israel who decides he is going to carve it up and give it away, God says, `No, this is mine.'"

Last August, Robertson caused an uproar when he suggested that the U.S. Government should assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez

"It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war, and I don't think any oil shipments will stop," he said.

In November, Robertson chastised the citizens of Dover, PA, when after voting out of office an entire school board who attempt to introduce the controversial Intelligent Design philosophy - the belief that the universe is so complex that it must have been created by a higher power, as an alternative to the theory of evolution - into the town's school curriculum.

"I'd like to say," warned Robertson, " to the good citizens of Dover: If there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God. You just rejected him from your city," Robertson said on the Christian Broadcasting Network's "700 Club".

"Rumsfeld sees this guy as an asset," said Larson. "He loves the guy and can't wait to get him going, and lobbying back to Al Qaeda the same kind of propaganda."

According to a senior staff official close to the program, Robertson will begin taping diatribes in the "next few weeks.

He will wear some type of religious or ecumenical wardrobe, and there will be a gun or rifle placed to one side of him, the American flag to the other.

To help fund and pay for the broadcasts, the Administration has been soliciting sponsors, as well as juicing vendors and large donors.

"Some of the guns that will be used will come from present military contractors," said the official, "some will come from the private collections of big donors. They just started putting the word out and there's already a waiting list."

It's not clear what will be in background of Robertson as he rants and raves.

Sources say there's been a split inside the White House, from going with a plain, stark background, or, opening it up to corporate sponsors.

The number of videos produced and broadcast has not been released. Robertson will be authorized to improvise, and some copy will come from a collaboration between Robertson's "700 Club" staff and the Washington, D.C. public relations firm, the Lincoln Group, who is already under contract with the Defense Department, to produce news articles for Iraqi media.

"He's going to have talking points to hit," said Larson, "but he'll be free to rain down some fire-and-brimstone as well."

The State Department, with Secretary Condoleezza Rice leading the way, has been selling the broadcast to as wide a range of outlets that they can, in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, including Arab television network Aljazeera. The administration is also working on agreements with Google, Apple, Yahoo and TIVO, for the downloading and rebroadcast rights.

'If they get the ducks in a row," says Larson, "you'll be able to watch these things on your cell phone."

'There's some talks for them holding back, until after the State of the Union, and run with them for the February Sweeps," said Paula Malady, a analyst for the think tank "All Things Terror", which specializes in Middle East affairs. 'They want to really get a big bang out of this."

It's not clear if Robertson will be featured, or join with the "Bushapalooza: Strategy For A Scandal" announced last week by the White House.

'They haven't finished vetting him yet," speculated Larson. 'If he's been in bed with Abramoff, you won't see him with the President, on tour."










The "700 Club" host Pat Robertson speaks with reporters, following a White House meeting in which the outspoken televangelist agreed to become the "Voice of Doom" in the Bush Administration's War On Terror.