Romney Bashes Giuliani By Comparing Him to Byrd

Mitt Romney has invoked U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., to criticize fellow GOP contender Rudy Giuliani over the line-item veto.

Romney has cited Giuliani's opposition to the line-item measure, later overturned, that was enacted during the Clinton administration.

"FACT: Mayor Giuliani Celebrated The End Of The Line-Item Veto Because It Restored Pork For New York," the former Massachusetts governor's campaign declares in a Thursday press release.

The release then parallels Giuliani with Byrd, who it says "Celebrated The End Of The Line-Item Veto, Which Threatened His Pork."

Romney cites press accounts of the 1998 line-item veto battle, and the senior senator's reputation as the "long the prince of pork on Capitol Hill."

The Associated Press details the extended tit-for-tat between the two campaigns.