http://apnews.excite.com/article/20071230/D8TRT4A00.htmlBy RON FOURNIER
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Mike Huckabee called Mitt Romney a dishonest politician who couldn't be trusted with the presidency, turning up the heat Sunday in a close-and-getting-closer Republican race in Iowa. Romney's camp accused hard-charging Huckabee of "testiness and irritability," a description that could apply to almost any candidate in the tumultous Iowa showdown.
As six candidates took their closing messages to morning talk shows, Democrat Barack Obama acknowledged that the criticism directed at him might be taking a toll.
In this photograph taken with a video camera, Republican presidential candidate, Mike Huckabee, speaks during a news conference in Indianola, Iowa Saturday, Dec. 29, 2007. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
"That may have some effect but ultimately I'm putting my faith in the people of Iowa that they want something better," Obama said on NBC's "Meet the Press."
Headed into the final days of the closest caucuses in a lifetime, public and private polls showed that Obama, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards were locked in a three-way tie for the lead. A new poll of the Republican race suggested that Huckabee's surprise surge may have stalled - his lead over Romney evaporated.
Huckabee said he may have been hurt by Romney ads and mailings criticizing his record as governor of Arkansas. Lacking Romney's resources, Huckabee used an appearance on the NBC show to accuse Romney of distorting his own public record.
"If you aren't being honest in obtaining the job, can we trust you if you get the job?" Huckabee asked.
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