(Image Source: Mitt Romney)

BY CHARLES MCKEAGUE

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

He’s revving the engines – gearing up for a fight.  GOP candidate Mitt Romney debuts his first television ad – and its aimed directly at President Obama.  It’s getting a lot of attention.

Here’s the part everyone is talking about.

“I’m confident that we can steer ourselves out of this crisis.  We need a rescue plan for the middle class. We need to provide relief for homeowners. Its going to take a new direction. If we keep talking about the economy we are going to lose.”

A political correspondent for MSNBC reports, the President’s camp immediately struck back, accusing the Romney campaign of twisting the President’s words.

“The Obama re-election team says they have really taken some of the presidents words out of context, including that last sound bite in which he says if we talk about the economy we are going to lose.  That was something that actually something then candidate Obama said in 2008, referencing something a McCain aid said.  Here’s what President Obama actually said back in 2008.

President Obama: Senator McCain’s camp actually said and I quote “If we keep talking about the economy we are going to lose.”

Romney’s camp has been quick to defend the new ad –saying its usage was intentional.  According to Politico – one of Romney’s advisers sent an e-mail to Politico saying…

“We used that quote intentionally to show that President Obama is doing exactly what he criticized McCain of doing four years ago. Obama doesn't want to talk about the economy because of his failed record.”

The Democratic National Committee immediately lashed out at Romney and his new ad.  Posting on Democrats.org....

“Mitt Romney is a serial deceiver – and his deceptions know no bounds. Romney will deceive about his own record, the record of his opponents and his positions on the issues. And when Mitt Romney is caught deceiving – he doubles down and deceives even more…”

The ad first ran on Fox News’ ‘Hannity’ – Monday night.  But it wasn’t aired until Romney threw a couple more punches. Here’s Fox News.

“I’d like to see a complete opportunity for him to talk about a wide variety of issues and describe why it is he has been such a failure - on international matters, on the domestic economy. The president by his own standards, by the speech I’m going to show, he has failed in almost every dimension.”

Polls show Romney as the GOP front-runner in new Hampshire – but the Los Angeles Times reports-- that gap may be shrinking as the primary nears.