Image source: ABC / The Daily Caller

BY ZACH TOOMBS

You're watching multisource politics video news analysis from Newsy.

He’s not the Republican nominee for president yet. But from the way President Obama’s re-election campaign has singled out Mitt Romney in recent weeks, you wouldn’t know it.

Mr. Obama’s chief campaign strategist, David Axelrod, painted the former Massachusetts governor as a shape shifter in an interview with ABC’s This Week on Sunday. 

"I think there's this question about what his core principles are. Then he was a pro choice, pro gay rights, pro environmental candidate for office. Then he decided to run for president. Did a 180 on all of that. So time and time and time again he shifts – and you get the feeling that there is no principle too large for him to throw over in pursuit of political office.”

In a media conference call Wednesday, the campaign’s first in this election cycle, Axelrod spent most of his time targeting Romney, a move that doesn’t surprise FOX News’ Juan Williams.

BILL O’REILLY: “From that statement from Mr. Axelrod, a serious man and a guy who’s in charge of the re-election campaign, you would think that they are seeing Governor Romney as a threat.”
WILLIAMS: “You’re exactly right. I mean, in political circles here in Washington, it is seen as inevitable right now.”

Romney is a long way from locking up the Republican nomination, but he has remained the only frontrunner consistently at the top of the polls, as candidates like Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry have lost steam.

A Romney web ad released this week harps on the fact that the former governor has been on the minds of Mr. Obama and his campaign. The Hill has it.

“What the White House is worried about... most...”
OBAMA: “Mitt Romney...”
AXELROD: “Governor Romney...”
JAY CARNEY: “Governor Romney...”
AXELROD: “Mitt Romney... Romney...”
ROBERT GIBBS: “Governor Romney...”
AXELROD: “Governor Romney... Governor Romney...”
CARNEY: “Mr. Romney, Governor Romney...”
AXELROD: “Governor Romney... Mitt Romney... Governor Romney...”
OBAMA: “I didn’t know that you were the spokesperson for Mitt Romney...”
“Nervous?”

Although Axelrod’s comments signal a new step in going after the GOP frontrunner, targeting Romney is nothing new for Mr. Obama. The president singled him out for his state health care reform during a three-day bus tour in August. MSNBC has his comments.

“You’ve got a governor who’s running for president right now who instituted the exact same thing in Massachusetts. This used to be a Republican idea by the way -- this whole idea of the individual mandate, and suddenly it’s like they got amnesia. It’s like ‘Ah, this is terrible. This is going to take away freedom for Americans all over the world.’”

Before Romney can turn his focus to Obama, he has rivals from his own party to worry about. The next debate between Republican candidates comes Tuesday in Nevada.