“Today’s remarks by the President were inappropriate and his choice of venue was insulting to every person of faith at a time when Christians are being crucified, beheaded, and persecuted across the Middle East,” the potential Republican presidential contender said in a statement.
The comments, which were intended to illustrate the potential for religion to be used for both good and bad aims, drew fierce criticism from conservatives on Thursday. And with Santorum’s decision to weigh in, could rapidly become fodder for attacks from potential 2016 contenders looking to burnish their credentials with the religious right.
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Talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh said he insulted “the whole gamut of Christians,” and Jim Gilmore, the former GOP governor of Virginia, called the comments “the most offensive I’ve ever heard a president make in my lifetime,” according to the New York Times.
And Catholic League President Bill Donohue — a frequent critic of Obama — called the comments “insulting” and “pernicious” in a statement, and said Obama was trying to “deflect guilt from Muslim madmen.”
