Romney takes aim at rival Gingrich

Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa

Republican Mitt Romney opened a broad and newly abrasive assault on rival Newt Gingrich on Thursday, dispatching surrogates and staff to cast him as unworthy of the GOP nomination and unfit to be president.

Romney is aiming to undermine his rising rival on both personal and professional fronts ahead of the 2012 campaign’s opening contest Jan. 3 in Iowa — a reversal by the one-time front-runner who had previously all but ignored his Republican foes.

“He’s not a reliable and trusted conservative leader because he’s not a reliable or trustworthy leader,” former Missouri Sen. Jim Talent, a Romney supporter, said of Gingrich, offering a preview of the attacks Romney’s team promised would continue in the next few weeks.

Romney allies also were giving him a boost, announcing a $3.1 million TV ad campaign in Iowa that is expected to include hard-hitting commercials against Gingrich.

Campaigning in South Carolina, Gingrich brushed off the verbal assault and insisted his campaign would not change its above-the-fray approach regarding fellow Republican contenders.

“We’re focused on remaining positive,” he said.

Gingrich’s reluctance to engage may be out of necessity. He dramatically lags Romney in organizational firepower as he tries to rebuild his campaign after an early summer implosion that left it deep in debt.

The onslaught of criticism from Romney and his allies, after months of focusing solely on President Barack Obama and little on his GOP foes, comes as the race has developed into a two-person contest. Gingrich’s quick rise in national and early-state polls threatens Romney’s claim as the likeliest Republican to be chosen to challenge Obama next fall.