Romney tears into Giuliani at toy store

Newport, New Hampshire: Mitt Romney bought a stuffed monkey and other playthings for his grandson, but the visit to a toy store on Sunday was anything but routine Christmas shopping.

The presidential candidate used French's Toy Shop in Concord, as the setting for one of his most biting attacks on Rudolph W. Giuliani, a top rival for the Republican nomination. Campaigning with his toddler grandson and seven other relatives, Romney described himself as more dedicated than Giuliani to family values.

"I believe it's important for the Republican Party to have a person who can distinguish himself on family values with Hillary Clinton," Romney said.

The nominee, he said, should be "pro-life", "pro-family", "pro-traditional marriage", oppose illegal immigration and uphold high ethical standards. And by all those measures, he said, Giuliani falls short.

January 8 primary

The verbal blast captured the combative tone of competing weekend bus tours across New Hampshire by Romney and Giuliani.

The former New York mayor slammed Romney's record as a former governor of Massachusetts, most pointedly on crime and healthcare. "The governor had what can only be described as a poor record on violent crime," Giuliani told the Associated Press on Saturday in Laconia.

With New Hampshire's January 8 primary barely six weeks away, the sparring illustrated the key role that the state plays in the strategies of Romney and Giuliani.