Video: Romney steps up attacks on Gingrich

>>> thank you. now to politics and fresh fireworks in the republican presidential race. mitt romney is showing no signs of letting up his attack on front-runner newt gingrich insisting the former house speaker is too, quote, zany to be president. chuck todd is nbc's political director and chief white house correspondent and joins us now. chuck, good morning.

>> good morning, ann. the republicans meet tonight in what is their final scheduled debate before the iowa caucuses . judging by how aggressively mitt romney has gone after newt gingrich this week, it's going to be lively.

>> what's wrong?

>> mr. gingrich we are here to protest your speech today!

>> reporter: one way to gauge which republican is the front-runner? the number of protesters who show up at your event.

>> we are outraged!

>> reporter: in iowa city a loud group of protesters delayed the start of newt gingrich 's speech at the university of iowa .

>> okay!

>> reporter: at the same time, a much smaller group protesting mitt romney 's new york city fundraiser was more sedate.

>> thank you for the destruction of our economy. thank you.

>> thank you all.

>> reporter: it is another bit of evidence gingrich is the front-runner and may be why romney used an unusual word to pick out what he believes is gingrich 's key vulnerability -- temperament.

>> zany is not what we need in a president. zany is great in a campaign. it's great on a talk radio . it's great in the print. but in terms of a president we need a leader. a leader needs to be someone of sobriety and stability and patience and temperance.

>> reporter: gingrich was attending a brain science seminar and jabbed back.

>> i think a brain science initiative is a way of helping human beings . i'll let him decide if it's zany. they should run their campaign the way they want to. i'm going to run my campaign the way i want to.

>> reporter: gingrich also responded to the latest nbc news/" wall street journal " that showed him with a large lead in the primary but struggling against president obama .

>> i'm about where reagan was against carter at this stage.

>> reporter: gingrich 's rise appears to be troubling some of the biggest republican leaders in congress. speaker john boehner who was in the house leadership with gingrich in the '90s tried to stay neutral.

>> like all big figures they got some great ideas then they have some other ideas. it would be hard to describe newt as not conservative. i'm not sure he is as conservative as some people think he is, but newt is a conservative.

>> reporter: romney disagreed with that.

>> this is a person who has a very questionable record when it comes to leading conservative principles.

>> reporter: romney , who has struggled to appeal to tea party republicans nabbed the endorsement of one of the more prominent tea partiers from the 2010 campaign failed delaware delegate christine o'donnell who said the perception of romney as flip flopper isn't an issue for her.

>> that is one of the things i like about him because he has been consistent since he changed his mind.

>> a little more evidence that the establishment is rallying against gingrich . the conservative national review penned an unusual editorial today and wrote, we think it is important to urge republicans to have the good sense to reject a hasty marriage to gingrich which would risk resulting in acrimony. the magazine didn't endorse any of the actual remaining candidates, just against gingrich .

>> to think, chuck, we're just getting started.

>> oh, yes.

>> thank you so much.

>>> let's check the other top stories of the morning. natalie

Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/45680909/

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