Rick Santorum Meant to Say 'Men's Emotional Issues'

By Jonathan Karl | ABC News – Fri, Feb 10, 2012 10:42 AM EST

Rick Santorum raised some eyebrows by saying women should not be in combat because of the "the types of emotions involved." Now, Santorum says, he is also concerned about "physical strength and capability" of women in combat situations.

First, on those "emotions," Santorum says he was not talking about the emotions of women.

"I was talking about men's emotional issues; not women," Santorum told ABC News. "I mean, there's a lot of issues. That's just one of them."

What emotional issues? Santorum says he believes that the men serving with women would put the protection of women in their unit above the overall the mission.

"So my concern is being in combat in that situation instead of being focused on the mission, they may be more concerned with protecting someone who may be in a vulnerable position, a woman in a vulnerable position," Santorum said.

But Santorum says he is concerned about more than just the "emotional issues."

"You throw on top of that just simply physical strength and capability and you may be out there on a mission where it's you and a woman and if you're injured, the ability to transport that person back. And you know, there's just, there are physical limitations," Santorum said.

That said, Santorum acknowledged that women already serve in harm's way.

"Women have served and do serve and do wonderful things within the military and … they do have opportunities to serve in very dangerous positions," Santorum said. "I mean they serve in very dangerous positions. And I certainly understand that and respect that and admire women for doing so, but I think on the front line of combat is not the best place and its' not maximizing what they can bring to the table."

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  • MikeS
    MikeS  •  Redmond, Washington  •  3 months ago
    Was that another freudian slip at the end of his idiotic statement? .......what they can bring to the table."
  • L
    L  •  3 months ago
    Just listened to his speech at CPAC, he even delved into the subject of Health Insurance and proceeded to tell people that they didn't need everything that such insurance provides. Strangely enough, he neglected to mention that he has outstandin­g medical insurance - paid for by the US taxpayer.
    • Chris
      Chris 3 months ago
      He also wants to cut capital gains tax to 0. basically, warren buffet, and rich people who DO NOT WORK BUT "INVEST" IN THE STOCK MARKET, WOULD PAY ABSOLUTELY 0 TAXES.

      PEOPLE WHO WORK, WOULD PAY AT LEAST 28%,

      santorum. lol
    • L
      L 3 months ago
      I PAY 28%, those a wholes
    • justin
      justin 3 months ago
      Yes but they will creat jobs.....gardener,cook,maid,nanny...
  • Tit Fortat
    Tit Fortat  •  3 months ago
    How does a #$%$ like this make it as far as he has.
    • Anya J
      Anya J 3 months ago
      your far far bible thumping christian wacko right, that is how this clown and newt are still in the race....both a TOTAL disgrace in the political field, but as long as they say the right key words about God, they will get the wackos vote, ie like south carolina...
    • Roman
      Roman 3 months ago
      amen!
    • Reed
      Reed 3 months ago
      Because, sad to say, there are millions of people in this country whose greatest need, in considering a candidate, is to hear a reaffirmation of their sense of superiority over some other sector of humanity - in effect, to have their bigotry reinforced. This is the essential appeal of the Santorums, Palins, Bachmanns, Cains, and the like: They're constantly telling their audience that one group or another - gays, Muslims (in fact, any non-Christians), immigrants, the poor (or anyone in need of government assistance), racial minorities, or the citizens of whatever nation with which we may be in conflict - should be treated as naturally inferior, as having fundamentally less worth, compared to them. For right-wingers, that rhetoric meets some sort of deep psychological need. You'll never hear that, on the other hand, from Obama - because his supporters don't have that same need to be told they out-rank someone else. Democratic listeners would be repulsed, not enticed, by a politician telling them (as Palin told her fans) that they and they alone were "the REAL Americans."
  • antigov
    antigov  •  Las Vegas, Nevada  •  3 months ago
    Politicians should fight our wars before they are permitted to go to Washington.
    • david m
      david m 3 months ago
      I agree with you 100. remember when kings led from the front? not gonna happen with these people.
    • KOOLTOZE
      KOOLTOZE 3 months ago
      Better yet, send them all to Afghanistan NOW, put them in combat units in forward bases and they don't get to come back out until they swear off undeclared wars on the other side of the planet.
  • Haus
    Haus  •  3 months ago
    .... aaaand there goes the women voters if he wins. Not to worry... Women only make up 50% of our population.
    • Susan
      Susan 3 months ago
      actually not all women would disagree that the battlefield is not a place for women
  • Rational Thinker
    Rational Thinker  •  Columbus, Ohio  •  3 months ago
    He said what he meant to say. When you decide to run for the highest office in America, you must be prepared at all times to respond and when that happens, words impact how you are preceived. When people go off script, you learn exactly who they are at their core and that is the case in this situation. I had a woman who served in the Marines say to me, "he has no right to make that comment before he laces up his boots and serve as I did." I think she made an excellent point while providing food for thought. We have far too many politicians making policy, talking about the military who have no family members serving now or never. It seems that when folks can quickly send others to fight wars, they are easy dicisions.
    • MD
      MD 3 months ago
      I agree, so where is that strong Vet we need to run this country!!
    • Get a real life
      Get a real life 3 months ago
      Yes we saw that in Perry.
    • clifton
      clifton 3 months ago
      obama has proved he can do the job these guys running worries me the way thier for one thing than agian thier for somthing differant
  • edwin
    edwin  •  3 months ago
    what a flip-flopper,if he says something and finds out its not popular with people he'll change it.
  • Stephen
    Stephen  •  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania  •  3 months ago
    Physical strength and capability can be assessed in training and, in my units, if you didn't look out for and protect each other you weren't doing the job. He should let the military decide how to deploy its troops.
  • A Yahoo! User  •  Laurinburg, North Carolina  •  3 months ago
    and in what branch of this countries armed forces did Rick serve, in order to gather all this important combat information ???
  • L
    L  •  3 months ago
    Rick's been reading too many romance novels. Hate to disillusio­n you, buddy, but women have stopped shopping and putting on make-up long enough to realize that this country is in trouble and YOU are not the one to rescue it.
  • Jarrod B
    Jarrod B  •  Dallas, Texas  •  3 months ago
    Anyone who's actually served in the modern armed forces know that women are in the combat zones, in just as much danger as the male counterparts. They just have to have a different unit signifier. I was in an Infantry unit, but we had women "attached" to us. Same job, different unit patch. Women aren't in SF yet, but they will be as we PROGRESS away from Santorum-esque idiocy.
  • Terry
    Terry  •  Kingfisher, Oklahoma  •  3 months ago
    If we vote any of these Republicans into the presidency, goodby any kind of rights for women. This is pathetic.
  • Bill W
    Bill W  •  Youngstown, Ohio  •  3 months ago
    I bet one of our female soldiers could wipe the floor with his wimpy behind.
  • Manuel F
    Manuel F  •  Norfolk, Virginia  •  3 months ago
    How would a person that has never served in any branch of the military know anything about the feeling of people in the military?
  • Lisa
    Lisa  •  Seattle, Washington  •  3 months ago
    If Ricky had actually served in combat he might have an idea of what it's like As it is, Ricky never even went through basic training so he should shut up.
  • matts
    matts  •  3 months ago
    Poor Rick-he accidentally said what he was thinking. How embarrassing.
  • MILTON
    MILTON  •  Harrisburg, Pennsylvania  •  3 months ago
    I have an emotional issue about santorum,and it is all negative.
  • William
    William  •  3 months ago
    Has Mr. Know-it-all ever served in the military? If not, his cowardly oppinion should be kept to himself.
  • AMERICUS LIBERATOR
    AMERICUS LIBERATOR  •  3 months ago
    Our candidates spend a lot of time and energy worrying about the lesser issues and not coming up with viable solutions to our major problems:
    A. How do they propose to reduce the national debt?
    B. How do they imporve our economy?
    C. Non intervention in the problems of other countries.
    D. Closing up our borders to illegals.
    E. Keeping our military strong enough to defend our country.
    F. Making health care and or health insurance affordable.
    G. The future of Medicare and Social Security.
    These are priority items that should be the basis of political dialogue, not abortion, gay rights, religion, and other petty issues that should be controlled at the State level. This class of candidates is totally evading the real issues, none of them are electable. Mitt and Newt just want the prestige that comes with the office, Santorum wants to convert everyone to Christianity, and old Ron Paul wants to take us back to the 1940's. Obama is not the cure for our nations problems, none of the other goons are any better. Clean out Congress and start over.
  • Linda
    Linda  •  Monitor Twp, Michigan  •  3 months ago
    Has Santorum ever been in the military or in combat? I might have more interest in his opinion if this is the case.
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