This week I chatted with Arab American Institute President James Zogby on his program Viewpoint about Pat Robertson’s hateful comments about Haitians in the aftermath of staggering tragedy.
To remind, Robertson said that Haiti was a cursed nations because Haitian slaves rebelling against their slaveholders and French control did a deal with the devil. I told Zogby that when Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was felled by a massive stroke, Pat Robertson made a similarly idiotic and offensive comment that Sharon was cursed for “dividing God’s land“. Sharon had recently ordered unilateral withdrawal from Gaza.
Zogby notes that Pat Robertson has made enormous political donations to Republican candidates over the years. Why are there few if any calls for these politicians to return the money?
We also briefly discuss President Obama’s efforts in the Middle East and my sense of Envoy George Mitchell’s poor performance. My recent visit to Dubai was on the menu too.
— Steve Clemons
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