Rick Santorum: Bruce Jenner can call himself a woman -- but 'obviously and biologically' he's not

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R), is walking back a statement he made about reality show star Bruce Jenner's announcement that he identifies as a woman, saying that is okay for Jenner to call himself a woman but "obviously and biologically" he isn't.

According to The Bustle, Santorum sought to clarify comments he made after Jenner made his highly-publicized announcement.

“If he says he’s a woman, then he’s a woman,” Santorum originally said when asked about the TV star during a roundtable with reporters in South Carolina . “My responsibility as a human being is to love and accept everybody. Not to criticize people for who they are. I can criticize, and I do, for what people do, for their behavior. But as far as for who they are, you have to respect everybody, and these are obviously complex issues for businesses, for society, and I think we have to look at it in a way that is compassionate and respectful of everybody.”

Santorum's comments caught people by surprise, but with another possible presidential run in sight and social conservatives worrying that he might be going soft on cultural issues, the former senator felt compelled to clarify his remarks during an interview with New Hampshire’s Concord News Radio.

"What I said was, I think you have to treat every person with dignity and respect, period. That’s the bottom line. And if Bruce Jenner says he’s woman then I’m not gonna argue with him. I know what obviously and biologically he is. That doesn’t change by himself identifying himself," Santorum helpfully explained. " His genetics and DNA isn’t changing, but out of respect, as you said, I’m not gonna argue if Bruce Jenner’s a woman with Bruce Jenner. I’m gonna treat him with dignity and respect and that’s what I said."

Santorum is expected to announce yet another run for the presidency in a “major announcement near his boyhood home” in Butler County, Pennsylvania, on May 27, by which time his Jenner comments are likely to have been forgotten.