WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney, stung by President Barack Obama's persistent attacks on the Republican challenger's record as a businessman, said Monday the president should be talking about his own record in the White House instead. The Obama campaign has hammered at discrepancies about when Romney departed as chief of the private equity firm Bain Capital that he co-founded in the 1980s. Romney says his business record is his chief qualification to be president, and it is the source of his vast fortune. “What does it say about a president whose record is so poor that all he can do in this campaign is attack me?” Romney asked in an interview Monday with Fox News. In a separate interview with CBS, Obama said he has run mostly positive campaign ads but said those are largely ignored by the media. In his interview, Romney was asked whether Obama should apologize for statements and campaign ads suggesting that Romney has not been truthful in his accounts of his record as head of Bain. Romney responded: “I think when people accuse you of a crime, you have every reason to go after them pretty hard, and I'm going to continue going after him.” He defended his business record but did not demand that Obama apologize. Romney also declined to make a fuller disclosure of tax returns than he has already committed himself to releasing. The latest exchanges came as Obama made campaign appearances in Ohio, a critical state for both candidates, and Romney was to join Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, one possible candidate for his running mate, on a fundraising trip. Ohio is heavily dependent on the auto industry, and Obama reminded voters of his administration's 2009 bailout of that industry, which was near collapse four years ago. The move saved thousands of jobs in Ohio, he said, adding that the US auto industry is “roaring back.” Speaking to a friendly audience, Obama made his standard campaign stump speech, accusing Romney of wanting to cut taxes for companies that send jobs overseas. In a move apparently designed to shift attention away from the Bain controversy, top Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom said the Republican challenger could name his vice presidential running mate by the end of the week. Romney opposed Obama's use of massive federal loans to keep Chrysler and General Motors afloat while they reorganized under bankruptcy protection. Over the past week, a furor has blown up over when exactly Romney left Bain. He says it was 1999, when he took over management of the 2000 Olympic Games. But recently uncovered filings by Bain with the US Securities and Exchange Commission list him as holding all the top positions in the company as late as 2001. — AP
