Pat Robertson: Major Republican Leader?

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By Mike Bates (Bio | Archive)
August 24, 2005 - 10:55 ET
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On Tuesday evening's Hardball, Chris Matthews joined the pack in identifying Pat Robertson as a Republican leader: "Otherwise, it will look like a major leader in the Republican Party on the conservative side of things...who won the Iowa caucuses back in ‘88, by the way...for president, is out to get this guy (Hugo Chavez)."

There's a problem with this analysis: Pat Robertson didn't win the 1988 Iowa caucuses.

Winning one primary (Washington State) almost 20 years ago makes Mr. Robertson neither a major leader nor spokesman for the Republican Party.