Sullivan on Robertson: What's He Saying?

Popular conservative blogger (and occassional Bush critic) Andrew Sullivan made an extremely odd post ("ROBERTSON'S GAFFE") about Pat Robertson's controversial recent statement that Ariel Sharon's stroke could be vengeance from an angry God-

Plenty of evangelicals and Republicans have dumped on Pat Robertson for saying that Ariel Sharon's stroke is related to his decision to divide the land of Israel. I'm baffled. It would be astonishing if Robertson did not believe something like that. Robertson's version of Christianity is fundamentalist pre-millenarianism. He believes, as do most members of the religious right, that the world is soon coming to an end, and that the unification of Israel is integral to that story-line. (The Jews who don't accept Christ will all die in a second and more extensive Holocaust, orchestrated by Jesus.) He also believes, as do millions of Americans, that God directly involves himself in our lives, as does Satan, and that He is a terrifying God who has committed mass murder and genocide in the past against those who flout his will (the Bible proves it) and will do so again. A mere stroke for Sharon? He should count himself lucky.

I couldn't read if Sullivan was defending Robertson or attacking him. It's very odd. My instinct was that he was defending him, which is kind of insane. If this is indeed what Sullivan thinks of the religious right, and he supports that, than this is a scary statment on the state of religious thought in this country today.

Anyone have a take on that?

[PS- A later post, 'FOLGER ON ROBERTSON', also tackles the subject.]