Rick Santorum, the former Senator from Pennsylvania, spoke at the Student Center on Wednesday. The controversial politician, seen as a right-wing extremist by some, and a courageous defender of conservative values by others, was voted out of office in the 2006 elections.

I went to his speech. It was a charged atmosphere, to say the least. The room, filled to standing room only, didn’t take long to establish its feelings about the former Senator. As soon as he walked in, loud clapping erupted, along with boos. During his forty-five minute speech, though, the room remained calm. During the question-and-answer session, though, the divide re-emerged.

Some people praised him as saying what needed to be said, and other people derided him as a hypocrite.

The session went well for the most part, aside from some outbursts. One thing that did seem less than professional, though, were some of Santorum’s comments. In particular, a derisive comment about France struck me as counter-productive for a person trying to establish credibility for a cause that needs to convince many as to its validity.

The comment concerned France’s refusal to help turn back the Turkish empire in the 1680’s, after its army had been defeated in Vienna. Santorum said, “All of the European countries united against Muslim invasion except, guess who? France.”

Santorum, it was clear from the speech, is an intelligent man. There is no doubt that he knows that France’s refusal to fight had nothing to do with their much discussed cowardice and inability to fight, and everything to do with politicized religion and Louis XIV, the king of France at the time, and his ambitions for power.

The comment was greeted by chuckles from supporters, and that is probably why Santorum made it. But it challenges his credibility for anyone who hears it. And if Santorum really wants to raise awareness about Islamo-Fascism, he can’t afford to alienate people.