Le Pen will be clobbered by Chirac by a 3-1 margin, then he can go back to his cave for a while, perhaps for good, given his advanced age.

And who exactly voted for Le Pen?

According to exit polls, French men were far more likely to vote Le Pen than women. Voters who expressed disenchanment with politics and traditional parties in general, and who desired someone who would "shake things up" went for Le Pen. White, lower class or unemployed French voters as well as those expressing fears about immigrants stealing their jobs or committing crimes were far more likely to vote Le Pen. And most significantly, the lower one's educational level, the more likely a vote for Le Pen. High school drop-outs and those with no higher education were far more likely to vote Le Pen.

I think the picture should be pretty clear by now...

The core of Le Pen's support is a marginalized, alienated, "loser" segment of French society, and Le Pen has further exploited fears over security and immigration to expand from that small core to attain 17% of the vote in the first round of the Presidential election. But he won't get much more in the second round, maybe up to 25% and that's it.

I have faith that the vast majority of French voters realize that the answer to valid concerns about immigration and security is to enact sensible reforms, not to elect a nutcase fascist to the Presidency.