Rick Santorum in hot water over comments about women in combat

The U.S. military wants to open up some front line combat positions to women, and presidential candidate Rick Santorum says it’s a bad idea.

Santorum, who has made a surprise headway in the Republican race, said that women in front line combat position could jeopardize missions – not because they can’t do the job but because of the complicated emotions involved between the sexes.

“When you have men and women together in combat, I think men have emotions when you see a woman in harm’s way,’’ Santorum said to TODAY’s Ann Curry Friday. “I think it’s something that’s natural that’s very much in our culture to be protective. That was my concern, and I think that’s a concern with all the military.’’

The orders from the Pentagon will take effect in 30 working days if there is not opposition from Congress. The orders specifically lift restrictions on military positions once considered dangerous.

Santorum, on the other hand, cited the Israeli military to back up his position. The Israeli army does not in fact allow women in front line combat positions. On CNN Thursday, he said that having women serve in combat was “not in the best interests of men, women or the mission.”

“(It’s) because of that reason of a sort of natural inclination to not focus on the mission because of the natural inclination to want to protect someone because it’s natural within our culture,’’ Santorum told Curry.

Curry, in turn, asked Santorum point blank if he believed women are not capable of serving in these types of positions. “No, that’s not the issue,’’ he said. “I’ve never raised that as a concern. The issue…is how men would react to seeing women in harm’s way or potentially being injured or in a vulnerable position and not being concerned about accomplishing the mission.’’

It remains to be seen how Santorum’s comments affect his campaign efforts, if at all. General public response has been largely negative, but it may not hurt him in the long run. A Gallup poll shows him tied for second place nationwide with Newt Gingrich, just behind Mitt Romney. Three straight wins in primaries in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri have propelled him onto center stage in the Republican race for presidential nominee.

Santorum promised his campaign won’t devolve into mudslinging but will stick to the pressing political and economic issues at hand. "This should be about what people care about at home. They don’t care about where you made money and how you made that money as long as you didn’t do anything illegal and unethical,” he said.

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