According to President Bush in his last State of the Union address, America supports the spread of democracy because freedom confounds the spread of terrorism. But a major figure on the religious right who runs an amen corner supporting Mr. Bush apparently has forgotten the president's words. He also seems to have forgotten his Scripture.

Pat Robertson, the religious broadcaster who has his own pulpit on the Christian Broadcast Network's "The 700 Club," seems not to believe in democracy -- at least if it throws up someone he doesn't like such as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. In so doing, he unwittingly treats Mr. Bush's theory on democracy as the pious nonsense it is.

Mr. Chavez, who was popularly elected, is not a favorite of the Bush administration because he cozies up to Cuba's Fidel Castro, is generally critical of the United States and threatens American oil interests in his country. Mr. Robertson's response? Let's assassinate him. So much for "thou shalt not kill."

Mr. Robertson has said other stupid things in the course of his career, but this is especially shocking even by his standards. When a Christian evangelist departs from a gospel of love and forgiveness to advocate murder, his example provides a clarifying moment for anyone who is paying attention.

One thing it clarifies is the hypocritical nature of some of those who belong to the religious right. ("By their fruits, ye shall know them"). In fairness, we won't say that Mr. Robertson, 75, represents everyone in that constituency but he does speak for millions and he is a founder of the Christian Coalition of America. He is no fringe figure -- indeed, he once ran for president, which makes his assassination suggestion all the more destructive to America's reputation overseas.

As a group, people of his ilk scorn the idea that there is -- or should be -- a separation of church and state. The 700 Club recognizes no such distinction as daily it goes about its business of using religion to propagate a right-wing political agenda. His reckless statement is a direct result of this unholy entanglement, something he might have known had he remembered another piece of Scripture: "You cannot serve God and mammon."