Will George W. "Fredo" Pat Robertson?

During political campaigns, everyone fears some form of that old "Have you stopped beating your wife?" question.

No matter how you answer, the headline will feature your candidate's name and the words wife beater.

To: National Desk, Political Reporter

Contact: Chad Clanton or Phil Singer, 202-464-2800, both of Kerry-Edwards 2004

WATERLOO, Iowa, Oct. 20 /U.S. Newswire/ - Kerry-Edwards campaign advisor Mike McCurry issued the following statement today in response to reports that President Bush told Pat Robertson that "we're not going to have any casualties" in Iraq :

"We believe President Bush should get the benefit of the doubt here but he needs to come forward and answer a very simple question: Is Pat Robertson telling the truth when he said you didn't think there'd be any casualties or is Pat Robertson lying?"

The Kerry campaign has kept a collective straight face today while challenging George W. BornAgain to answer that simple question.

If George W. says yes, then it's Bye Bye, Christian Right.

If George W. says no, then he has to explain why he thought there would be no casualties in a war that has killed over 1100 and wounded over 8000 Americans.

Transcript Excerpt From Paula Zahn's Interview With Pat Robertson:

Aired October 19, 2004 - 20:00 ET

ZAHN: He's been posed repeatedly in debates, what mistakes have you made? He's been asked that on the campaign trail and he hasn't come up with any.

ROBERTSON: I met with him down in Nashville before the Gulf War started. And he was the most self-assured man I ever met in my life.

You remember, Mark Twain said, he looks like a contended Christian with four aces. He was just sitting there, like, I'm on top of the world, and I warned him about this war. I had deep misgivings about this war, deep misgivings. And I was trying to say, Mr. President, you better prepare the American people for casualties.

Oh, no, we're not going to have any casualties. Well, I said, it's the way it's going to be. And so, it was messy. The lord told me it was going to be, A, a disaster and, B, messy. And before that, I had deep, in my spirit, I had deep misgivings about going into Iraq.

ZAHN: You just told me...

ROBERTSON: Yes. Yes.

ZAHN: As I asked you that question that you wished the president had admitted to the American public he's made these mistakes.

ROBERTSON: Well, sure.

ZAHN: Why don't you think he has?

ROBERTSON: I don't know this politics game. You can never say you're wrong, because the opposition grabs on it. And, you see, he admitted he screwed up. And so I don't know. But...

ZAHN: But, as someone who has run for president, you know this game better than just about anybody.

ROBERTSON: Oh, yes.

ZAHN: When you felt that you had the lord telling you that this was going to be a very bad thing to go into Iraq and you warned the president about it, he seemed to be dismissive.

ROBERTSON: Well, I warned him about casualties.

ZAHN: Of the casualties.

Where do you think that came from? Do you think he got bad advice? Do you think he was ignoring some of the advice he had gotten? What is it?

ROBERTSON: I just think he was so sure that this man was a tyrant, he was evil and he needed to be taken out. I mean, he just felt it.

Of course, he had advisers, the so-called neocons, around him that said, Mr. President, go get him, and we will liberate these oppressed people.

ZAHN: There are a lot of neoconservatives...

ROBERTSON: Yes. LINK

Watch for a major distraction if this story grows the legs it deserves.

Oh, by the way...

Cheney says Terrorists want to nuke American cities.

My question to The Dick: Why are you and Condi out campaigning instead of working on national security issues?