Huntsman ad suggests Romney not genuine about being against abortion rights

GOP presidential candidate Jon Huntsman released Friday a campaign ad attacking fellow contender Mitt Romney for his changing positions on issues important to the Republican base.

In the 60-second web ad titled “Backflip,” Huntsman’s campaign provides clips of Romney “flipping” on statements he has made about the Obama administration, gun control laws and abortion, which has become one of the hottest issues in the race for the Republican nomination for president.

In one clip, Romney is quoted saying: “I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country.”

And in another: “I have constantly been pro-life.”

The ad ends with the camera on Huntsman: “This is a time when if you are going to be President of the United States, you show a little presidential leadership. That’s by taking a position and leading out. Sometimes there is a risk associated with taking a position, but that’s all part of leadership.”

Huntsman, like Romney and unlike most of the other candidates in the pack, has been reluctant to talk about social issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage. On Piers Morgan’s talk show in August, Huntsman, noting he has adopted two children, said he has always been “pro-life” but supports abortion in cases of rape, incest and to protect the life of the mother.

“I don’t have a lot of patience on the non-economic issues,” Huntsman told Morgan.

Abortion is absent from Huntsman’s campaign website. Under “Issues,” only “Jobs & the Economy” and “Foreign Policy” are listed.

Watch “Backflip”: