Some thoughts:
1. As a former member of the Senate Armed Services Committee whose father was a career Veterans Administration psychologist, Santorum is better qualified than most people other than military veterans to make his statement. His father spent his entire career dealing with the consequences when servicemembers break down.
2. Stuff like this sounds **REALLY** bad to civilians who don't understand the military and to women who are in the military. It's politically stupid to say because it antagonizes a fair number of military personnel and gives red meat to the liberals.
3. I know lots of kick-butt female soldiers and respect their service. I strongly believe most women would not want to do what they do, and would not be very good at doing it. Those positions are not incompatible in the least. Let's let women who want to fight do so, while respecting the fact that it takes personalities and skills to be a soldier which most women do not have and do not want to have.
BTW, this is coming from the proud uncle of a 5'2” Korean woman, daughter of a South Korean special forces soldier, who recently out-shot two US Army captains on the Fort Leonard Wood rifle range, one of whom was making comments about how women shouldn't be in the military. Some women make great soldiers, and making my niece mad is a good way to get yourself embarrassed.
I think you’re right all the way around. I think it should be voluntary, and there are certain women who can handle the stress better than the men. There is, I think, a real controversy about upper body, and other physical strength deficiencies, and I think they should be dealt with on a specific basis according to job and assignment...
I just think all war is demoralizing and dehumanizing, and I try not to think about it much, which is hard because I come from a military family... and have loved ones and friends all over this teetering jittery world, and barack obama does exactly invoke confidence... he is really messing with the military bigtime in ways that never make it to the news... and I think he has some real designs on using the military to help him get reelected...