Romney, McCain clash over economic credentials

PENSACOLA, Florida (Reuters) - Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney sharply criticized John McCain on Friday, accusing the self-styled straight-talking Arizona senator of arrogantly exaggerating his knowledge of the U.S. economy.

The gloves came off in the hotly contested Florida race just days before Tuesday's primary vote and a day after the five Republican hopefuls met in a gentlemanly debate where they praised one another and attacked their Democratic archrival Hillary Clinton, a New York senator.

Clinton, meanwhile, questioned whether the Democratic Party should punish the states of Michigan and Florida for flouting party rules and moving their primary elections up too far. In an about-face, she said the results should be counted.

Democrats and Republicans are waging state-by-state contests to pick nominees for the November 4 presidential election to succeed President George W. Bush.

With worries mounting of a possible U.S. recession, the economy has become the major issue for voters. Romney, a former Massachusetts governor and business executive, used concerns about losing jobs overseas to defeat McCain in the Michigan primary.

McCain defended his economic experience on Friday, pointing out he was in Congress during President Ronald Reagan's economic reforms.

"I'm proud of -- back in the '80s when none of these other guys were in any way involved -- being part of the Reagan Revolution which brought about the strongest period of economic growth in American history," McCain told reporters on his campaign bus, the "Straight Talk Express."

McCain's remarks drew ridicule from Romney, who made a fortune working as the head of a firm that bought companies and then sold them again after trying to make them more efficient, often by cutting jobs.

"I think he has detoured from what was straight talk," Romney told a rally of about 200 supporters in Pensacola.

IMPORTANT TEST

Florida, the fourth most populous state, is the largest state to vote so far and is an important test of Republican support because only party members may participate. McCain, a maverick, has often angered Republicans and draws much of his support from independents.

A poll this week by The Miami Herald newspaper put McCain in a statistical tie with Romney, giving him 25 percent of the state's Republican vote to Romney's 23 percent. Rudy Giuliani, a former New York mayor, was third with 15 percent.