“I love my nephew,” a smiling Santorum said Wednesday night when asked about the op-ed. “I have 35 nieces and nephews, so one out of 35 is pretty good as far as I’m concerned.”

“He’s a Ron Paul supporter, God bless him,” he continued. “I mean, it’s a phase. I understand it. And so we all go through those things. God bless Johnny, it’s wonderful.”

Later, when discussing the 10th Amendment with another questioner, Santorum stated unequivocally that he is “not a libertarian.”

“I’m a conservative,” he said.