Pat Robertson

"On Monday, Robertson said on the Christian Broadcast Network's The 700 Club: "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 $200-billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator,' he said of the democratically elected Chavez.

'It's a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with.'

U.S. critics of Robertson said they were deeply troubled by the evangelist's remarks.

'It's absolutely chilling to hear a religious leader call for the murder of any political leader, no matter how much he disagrees with such a leader's policies or practices,' said one of them, Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State."