Chavez supporters said Wednesday the suggestion by religious broadcaster Pat Robertson that the United States should "take him out" gave credence to Chavez's warnings that the U.S. government is searching for ways to overthrow his leftist regime.
"If anyone had a doubt, now they no longer do," said Maritza Uzcategui, a 50-year-old nurse and Chavez supporter. "He's been saying they want to kill him."
U.S. officials called Robertson's on-air remarks inappropriate and repeated assurances that the United States is not considering killing Chavez despite its questions about his commitment to democracy and accusations he is spreading instability in Latin America.
Robertson apologized Wednesday, saying it was wrong to call for someone's assassination. "I spoke in frustration that we should accommodate the man who thinks the U.S. is out to kill him," he said in a statement.
For months, Chavez has peppered his speeches with mentions of assassination plots and purported U.S. efforts to oust him. He warns that Venezuela, the world's fifth-largest petroleum exporter, will cut off oil shipments to the U.S. if it backs any sort of conspiracy against him.
At the same time, Chavez has been seeking to raise Venezuela's profile internationally, extending preferential oil deals to countries from China to Argentina in an effort to strengthen alliances and line up alternative trade partners from the U.S., which is the No. 1 buyer of Venezuelan oil.
By legitimizing Chavez's warnings about plots, Robertson's words will raise the president's profile and bolster his already high domestic support, which is drawn primiarily from the country's poor majority, said Luis Vicente Leon, director of the Venezuelan polling firm Datanalisis. ……….***
Chavez brought up Robertson's remarks while addressing supporters at the presidential palace, saying "he has expressed the desire of the elite that governs the United States."
"If something happens to me, the responsible one will be George W. Bush," said Chavez, who has repeatedly accused the Bush administration of plotting to overthrow him.
The United States has repeatedly denied having any intentions to try to topple Chavez or harm him.
Chavez's comments were his sharpest since Robertson called for his assassination Monday on his TV show "The 700 Club," saying the United States should "take him out" because Chavez poses a danger to the region.
Robertson later issued an apology, saying he spoke out of frustration. U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack on Tuesday called Robertson's remarks "inappropriate," but stopped short of condemning them.***