Romney swings at Huckabee over Bush comments

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) lashed out at his chief rival in Iowa, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R), for Huckabee’s criticisms of the Bush administration.

{mosads}Huckabee, writing in Foreign Affairs, accused President Bush of adhering to an “arrogant bunker mentality.”

The statement led Romney to accuse Huckabee of sounding like one of the Democratic candidates.

“Mike Huckabee is known for his witty one-liners, but his criticism of the Bush administration with sound bites right from the Democrats’ talking points is no laughing matter,” Romney spokesman Kevin Madden said in a statement. “At a time when Republican voters want strength of purpose and resolve in foreign policy, Mike Huckabee has resorted to the Democrat playbook of just bashing the president.”

In recent weeks, Huckabee has emerged from the back of the pack to surpass Romney in the crucial first state of Iowa. The former Arkansas governor has mounted his surprise surge on sparse resources and very little traditional organization in Iowa.

Romney, however, has invested heavily in the state, and until Huckabee’s move to the front, the former Massachusetts governor was considered to be the favorite in the first contest.