Romney Blames Obama for 'Prairie Fire of Debt'

If the general election has effectively begun, it looks like the economy will indeed be topics a, b, and, c. After the Obama camp went after Mitt Romney for his days as at Bain Capital, Romney struck back today with a forceful attack on the president's handling of the financial crisis, reports AP. The line getting the most play: "A prairie fire of debt is sweeping across Iowa and our nation, and every day we fail to act that fire gets closer to the homes and children we love," Romney said in Iowa.

"This is not solely a Democrat or a Republican problem," he said, in what the AP called an unmistakable shout-out to those all-important independent voters. "The issue isn't who deserves the most blame, it's who is going to do what it takes to put out the fire." The New York Times, noting that Romney also called the debt crisis an "inferno," thinks he's testing new language for the campaign trail. (More Mitt Romney 2012 stories.)