Romney Likens Gingrich to ... Al Gore

Mitt Romney's once-comfortable lead in South Carolina isn't so comfortable anymore. A new CNN/Time poll has him ahead of Newt Gingrich 33-23, a marked difference from his 19-point lead two weeks ago. Rick Santorum (16), Ron Paul (13), and Rick Perry (6) bring up the rear. "Gingrich appears to be the only candidate with momentum," says CNN's polling chief. The Romney campaign apparently is getting antsy because it went after Gingrich directly today, with two negative web videos and a shot from Romney himself, notes Politico.

The Romney barb:

• “You know, the speaker just the other day at the debate was talking about how he created millions of jobs when he was working with the Reagan administration. Well, he’d been in Congress two years when Ronald Reagan came to office. That would be like saying 435 congressmen were all responsible for those jobs. Government doesn’t create jobs. It’s the private sector that creates jobs. Congressmen taking responsibility or taking credit for helping create jobs is like Al Gore taking credit for the Internet.”

As for Gingrich, he thinks he can be the nominee if he wins the state. (More Mitt Romney 2012 stories.)