He just shot himself in the foot. It is going to be hard to overcome this:
http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/20/politi...016/index.html
While I may agree that FUNDAMENTALIST Islam is incompatible with modern society and equal rights, moderate Muslims that aren't particularly observant, who drink alcohol and eat pork, and embrace equal rights for women and gays clearly aren't any more of a problem that Pat Robertson.
A politician needs to point out the differences between a radical cleric and Salman Rushdie. Or she or he needs to learn to lie.
The Democrats lie all the time during the campaign about what they are going to do when in office. They even lie when they are in office. Just look at the lies that were told to get Obama's healthcare package passed.