Pat Robertson transcript

MICHAEL EISNER:
See, most people think of you as a religious-- preacher, in a way. They-- they think-- sometimes they think you, you know, when you say there's a-- you say that a tsunami is coming, they think you maybe lost it for five minutes. Another time when you talk about hearing people, they think that's your core calling. Is that your core calling? Is your core calling being a visionary in the media world?

PAT ROBERTSON:
Well, I think it's a little of everything. But-- our-- our Lord has gifted me with the ability to-- to-- to be a visionary. And I-- I'm a-- as I say, my-- my DNA is an entrepreneur. I love to create businesses. I love to-- to-- to do things like that. And I am a relatively good businessman. I've been in business for 40-some years.

MICHAEL EISNER:
You're-- you're a great businessman. Now, do you take like your own instinctual research. All these big companies do research, which I don't believe in.

PAT ROBERTSON:
Yeah.

MICHAEL EISNER:
I believe in instinctual research. But do you take your instinctual research of your constituency and formulate some of your policies from your constituency that-- that you have to espouse to keep your constituency happy? Or do you create your own point of view and hope they'll follow you?

PAT ROBERTSON:
No, we create our own point of view, and I hope I'm listening to the Lord. But in terms of-- of-- we survey people. We do in-depth surveys. We have broad based surveys like: What do you like? I mean, what can we do to help you? We believe in being servants. So we're serving the audience, and we ask: What do you want? What would you like? And we try to-- to give them the type of program they like. But in terms of the message, the message comes out of the (LAUGHTER) Bible. And I-- I don't change that for anybody.

MICHAEL EISNER:
Well, you read the Bible as a very literal document.

PAT ROBERTSON:
Oh, yes.

MICHAEL EISNER:
See, I had a problem with you.

PAT ROBERTSON:
All right.

MICHAEL EISNER:

CNBC VIDEO Pat Robertson interview, part 4 June 20: Pat Robertson talks with ex-Disney CEO Michael Eisner about his public remarks and other religions around the world. CNBC

Probably-- you may not even be aware of it and it didn’t start with you. But we felt that we should offer to our employees, we have 125,000 employees and a lot of them in the creative areas, same-sex health insurance. We were not the first company to do it, but we were not the last. And we felt that if a couple of any kind was really committed to each other, not somebody they'd met, you know, the night before, but really committed, and there was an illness, that we should afford that couple same-sex health benefits. And that was a firestorm with the Baptists. And they-- boycotted the Walt Disney Company. It was very ineffectual. It didn't work. 'Cause I wasn't sure that the people themselves really believed that. And then-- and I think you were fairly silent on that. But—

PAT ROBERTSON:
I was silent.

MICHAEL EISNER:
But-- but then when Disney allowed-- 'cause we didn't promote it, but it did exist at Disney, the gay community created Gay Days, either at Disneyland or Walt Disney World. And we could not, nor would we-- prohibit anybody from coming in who had a ticket as long as they acted civilly and all that stuff. And that was a big firestorm with you and-- and with the 700 Club. And—you really came out against us and really blasted homosexuality. And I wasn't sure whether that was you or the constituency that you serve.

PAT ROBERTSON:
Well, I think it was the City of Orlando. It wasn't Disney. The City of Orlando-- sort of put its corporate weight-- behind the whole month of this activity. And we felt this-- I mean, I felt personally that that wasn't too good a thing. (LAUGHTER) So-- but I don't think I ever said anything about Disney, per se, in terms of giving spousal benefits. I mean, that was-- that was your call.

MICHAEL EISNER:
Yeah, I think that some of this-- the-- the words that have been accredited to you in some of these areas you may have said for, I don't know, maybe I'm putting words in your mouth, for hyperbole rather than deep conviction…

PAT ROBERTSON:
Sometimes. You know, Michael, I've-- I've ad-libbed-- I've ad-libbed at least 8,000 shows in my day. And whenever you-- you get on-- on an ad-lib, I was talking to your floor director, she used to be in-- in the circus on the high wire. And I'm walking the tightrope every day. I don't work on the script. And-- so I do news, and I do commentary. I do-- I do ad-lib editorials. And it's obvious-- it's easy to put your foot in your mouth and-- and get a little carried away. And I do that. I'm-- I'm very passionate.

MICHAEL EISNER:
I mean, another area that-- that-- that you're on the right track but sometimes for me is I have a very good friend from Venezuela who despises Chavez.

PAT ROBERTSON:
(LAUGHTER) Yeah.

MICHAEL EISNER:
And has every reason to.

PAT ROBERTSON:
Yes.

MICHAEL EISNER:
The man is-- clearly dangerous. Your statement, which I think scared him about, maybe it would be a good idea to have him assassinated, whatever-- was one of those high wire-- on-the-air-- acclamations that I doubt whether you meant the actual act of doing it. But you meant to say that this was a dangerous guy.

PAT ROBERTSON:
Well--

MICHAEL EISNER:
Or were you talking policy?

PAT ROBERTSON:
We had a-- policy. We had a five-minute piece explaining how he had murdered people and what a horrible person and he was looking to Iran to get nuclear weapons. My-- thought Michael is about policy. I-- I can't assassinate anybody. It has to be the President of the United States as a-- as a executive order against that. So the whole thing is just strictly for discussion. I don't like to go to war. I think wars are horrible. And I think to kill young men and women to-- go to war. And I was thinking about Saddam Hussein. Wouldn't it have been better if we'd have had a little team to go in there and dispatch that murderer instead of going to war with Iraq? Wouldn't it have been better to have dispatched Adolph Hitler rather than have 50 million people killed in World War II? And so it was a matter of a policy discussion in my mind.

MICHAEL EISNER:
How 'bout Islam? The-- I'm-- I am not an expert on religion. But the religion of Islam, there's a lot of controversy as to what is it-- what parts of it are-- are parts to be concerned about, what parts are not. Where is it as-- as safe as Christianity and Judaism and where it isn’t. And I know you know a lot about that.

PAT ROBERTSON:
Well, I have-- studied a great deal and have been exposed to it a great deal. You know, we operated a TV station on the border of Israel for 18 years and in Lebanon. And-- the-- radicals-- car bombed us. And they Katusha rocketed our station. And they finally invaded and blew us up at Hezbollah. But here's the deal in about -- Iraq-- I mean, in-- in Islam. Mohammad taught jihad. He taught war. And what he says was: If you find an unbeliever and if he will convert and pay alms, then let him go in peace. But if not, you are to kill him. So this was the instruction from the man who founded the faith. It is a very violent religion, although there are many millions of people who embrace Islam who are peaceful, loving, fine people. I've known many. You've known many. They're splendid people. But yet there's this lunatic fringe now that has taken hold and is probably-- well, let's give or take ten, 20 percent of those embracing Islam. So that's 100 to 200 million people.

MICHAEL EISNER:
But in the history of Christianity, in the Middle Ages-- and-- and come out of the-- enormous amount of violence and killing and particularly in that part of the world.

PAT ROBERTSON:
The Crusades were a terrible mistake. There's no doubt about it. But Jesus Christ didn't teach killing and violence. He taught peace. He said you're to love your enemy. Do good to them who spitefully use you and persecute you. So your-- this is a religion of love; whereas, Mohammad preached a religion of hate.

MICHAEL EISNER:
So last question.

PAT ROBERTSON:
All right.

MICHAEL EISNER:
This may be a silly question. I've almost been married as long as you have. About 40 years. How long have you been married?

PAT ROBERTSON:
About 52.

MICHAEL EISNER:
All right. So I'm not-- I'm not in your league. I'm not in your league.

PAT ROBERTSON:
All right.

MICHAEL EISNER:
So my wife is Christian.

PAT ROBERTSON:
Right.

MICHAEL EISNER:
So I appreciate the fact that she's Christian. She can go to heaven. I'm Jewish.

PAT ROBERTSON:
Yeah.

MICHAEL EISNER:
So from what I understand, we only can be together in-- on this Earth. 'Cause I can't go to heaven, according to the 700 Club.

PAT ROBERTSON:
No, not according to the 700 Club. I don’t know who it’s according to.

MICHAEL EISNER:
All right. So-- well, I thought Jews couldn't go to heaven.

PAT ROBERTSON:
All right. Here's the deal. And with this-- the Apostle Paul said that all Israel will be saved. There's going to come a time when all Jews are gonna come to heaven. They're all gonna meet the-- the Lord. And-- and it's-- it's in the Old Testament. Zachariah says they'll look upon him who they have pierced, and they're going to mourn and so forth. But there's gonna come a time of extraordinary persecution. There already has come. But it's gonna be some serious stuff. And-- it's told by the Old Testament prophets the answer that we believe as evangelicals is that God has a special role for the Jewish people. And you look at-- you look at the 22nd Psalm. He talks about his bones pulled out of joint, you know? And he talks about people surrounding. And he looks down, and it describes the crucifixion. It's all in there. It's in the Old Testament-- describing what happened. And-- I'm just one of the goy that came along late. (LAUGHTER) I-- I'm-- I'm converting to the-- to the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

MICHAEL EISNER:
So you're converting to Judaism.

PAT ROBERTSON:
Well, I'm not converting to Judaism. (OVERTALK)

MICHAEL EISNER:
See, I thought I'd-- this would be-- this would be a big announcement here.

PAT ROBERTSON:
(LAUGHTER) I'm--

MICHAEL EISNER:
I could get a big rating.

PAT ROBERTSON:
I'm converting-- (OVERTALK)

MICHAEL EISNER:
Pat Robertson converts to Judaism. (OVERTALK)

PAT ROBERTSON:
--faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And-- but the time is coming very soon when there's going to be a revelation of the Lord to everybody. And all Israel, all Israel is gonna get saved.

MICHAEL EISNER:
You've always been known to be very pro-Israel.

PAT ROBERTSON:
Totally pro-Israel. I mean, I-- I've got the Star of David printed on my underwear. I mean, it's that kind of thing.

MICHAEL EISNER:
Thought you had Mickey Mouse on your underwear.

PAT ROBERTSON:
(LAUGHTER) (UNINTEL) said you're more Israeli than (UNINTEL). But in-- in any event-- I firmly believe that according to the Bible, the-- the fullness of the Gentiles will come in. And then all Israel will be saved. That's what the Apostle Paul wrote.

MICHAEL EISNER:
Wow. (LAUGHTER) Thank you very much-- (OVERTALK)

MICHAEL EISNER:
Got a lot to think about now.

PAT ROBERTSON:
(LAUGHTER) I want you to be with your wife.

MICHAEL EISNER:
Yeah. I'm gonna be with her, one way or the other.

PAT ROBERTSON:
Okay. (LAUGHTER)

MICHAEL EISNER:
Thank you.

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