Karl Rove criticized President Barack Obama’s health care plan Tuesday in front of a full crowd at Concordia College that was primarily supportive but included a few outspoken detractors.

The former White House adviser attracted more than 1,000 people, including about 700 community members and students who filled the Knutson Center Centrum. The rest viewed the speech on TVs from overflow rooms.

Rove spoke for 30 minutes on how free market and free enterprise affect health care, arguing that government should not take control of health care.

He took questions from students for another 30 minutes, with questions on the Valerie Plame affair and the war in Iraq eliciting the most heated interactions between Rove and the audience.

Although a small area outside the building was designated for protesters, no one used it.

The only incident came after the speech when one young man shouting “9/11 was an inside job!” was escorted out by security because he was handing out literature without permission.

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