Pat Robertson's Special Friend, Charles Taylor

Ah, this must be another liberal plot -- a UN trial at the Hague:

The UN Backed Special War Crime Court in Sierra Leone has identified 139 witnesses to testify against the former Liberian leader, Charles Ghankay Taylor.

The trial against Mr. Taylor is expected to start on June 4, 2007 in The Hague, at the International Criminal Court, and the proceedings will take place under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Special Court.

Addressing a news conference on Wednesday in Monrovia, the Prosecutor of the Special Court, Stephen Rapp said the 139 witnesses who are expected to testify against Mr. Taylor include Liberians, Sierra Leoneans, and people from other regions around the world.

The UN asserts that Taylor created and backed the RUF rebels in Sierra Leone, which are accused of a range of atrocities, including the use of child soldiers. The prosecutor also said Taylor's administration had harbored members of Al-Qaeda sought in connection with the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

Wait, this isn't a liberal plot to get one of Pat Robertson's friends?  Actually, no. 

In November 2003, the United States Congress passed a bill that included a reward offer of two million dollars for Taylor's capture. *** Taylor was placed on Interpol's Most Wanted list, noted as possibly being dangerous, wanted for "crimes against humanity, grave breaches of the 1949 Geneva Convention." ***
On 6 March 2004, the United States presented a draft resolution to the United Nations Security Council seeking a freeze of Taylor's assets, as well as those of his family and allies.

Now, why would Pat Robertson have been a vigorous defender of Taylor?

Diamonds and gold.http://en.wikipedia....

Robertson repeatedly supported former President of Liberia Charles Taylor in various episodes of his 700 Club program during the United States' involvement in the Liberian Civil War in June and July of 2003. Robertson accuse[d] the U.S. State Department of giving President Bush bad advice in supporting Taylor's ouster as president, and of trying "as hard as they can to destabilize Liberia."

Robertson was criticized for failing to mention in his broadcasts his $8,000,000 (USD) investment in a Liberian gold mine. Taylor had been indicted by the United Nations for war crimes at the time of Robertson's support.***

According to Robertson, the Liberian gold mine Freedom Gold was intended to help pay for humanitarian and evangelical efforts in Liberia, when in fact the company was allowed to fail leaving many debts both in Liberia and in the international mining service sector. Regarding this controversy, Richard Land, head of the Southern Baptist Convention's public policy said, "I would say that Pat Robertson is way out on his own, in a leaking life raft, on this one."

There's much, much more about Robertson's sordid business dealings, e.g., his alleged use of Operation Blessing, as a front for his own financial gain, and how Mark Earley bailed him out of a recommended criminal prosecution.  And this guy was McDonnell's inspiration?

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