Regarding the general, I was delivering a little hyperbole. However, I don't see at all how such an action would run counter. I myself would want to make clear that I agree with the Muslims: he is a total ass. I want them to know that our nation might even unanimously agree that he is an asshole for being incendiary, but that even then, our action ought to be to utterly defend both him and all other Americans against intimidation. I want them to know that being an asshole does not somehow dissolve one's freedom of speech.
Letting them think that we don't think he is an asshole causes Middle Easterners to misunderstand our principles. I think it is important for them to understand. If they think we think that what he said was socially acceptable, then they come away with the conclusion that we defend him because we hate Islam. When they know we think he is an asshole, but that we are standing up to them anyway, they understand that we hate oppression and intimidation and that we profoundly believe in freedom. I want them to understand that, and the only way to do that is to short circuit the blindness their butthurt "feelings" are causing.
Which is absolutely why we do need a national statement on the matter. We need a statement which says to them "back down, because we are not going to". But, I don't want that message to be clouded by their demagogues filling in the blank spaces, and making us out to hate Islam.