Romney Rivals, Lobbing Labels, Try to Chip Away at Front-Runner's Lead

Speaking to a business group, Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, answered a question about healthcare systems by saying, "I like to be able to fire people who provide services to me."

In heated campaign fueled by sound bites, the context hardly mattered. Soon afterward, Huntsman pounced.

"Governor Romney enjoys firing people; I enjoy creating jobs," said Huntsman, a former Utah governor whose slim hopes in the Republican campaign rest on a strong finish in New Hamshire's primary on Tuesday. "It may be that he's slightly out of touch with the economic reality playing out in America right now, and that's a dangerous place to be."

The episode came after a weekend in which Romney was blasted by other Republican candidates - particularly Gingrich - over his tenure at Bain Capital, the private equity firm co-founded by Romney, who has touted his success in business.

In debates over the weekend and continuing on Monday, Gingrich assailed Romney for "looting" companies during his time as head of Bain, which invested in a range of companies.

Gingrich, a former House of Representatives speaker, cited a Reuters story that examined a Kansas City steel company that was purchased by Bain.

Bain doubled its money on the deal but the company declared bankruptcy in 2001, laying off 750 workers and stripping them of healthcare and other benefits.

Analysts and former company executives say Bain's decision to load the company with debt made it harder to weather a downturn in the economy.

"I am totally for capitalism, I am for free markets," Gingrich said on Monday, seeming to acknowledge the oddity of a conservative Republican bemoaning the success of a business.