Romney Attacks McCain in Ad

Mitt Romney’s campaign has gone on the attack against John McCain in New Hampshire, airing an ad slamming his Republican rival for his positions on taxes and illegal aliens.

With polls showing McCain gaining on Romney in New Hampshire, the Romney ad questions whether McCain is “the right Republican for the future.”

The voice-over asserts that McCain opposes repeal of the estate tax and Bush tax cuts. McCain voted against permanent repeal of the “death tax” in 2002, although he does support limiting the number of people who would be subject to it.

The Romney spot also attacks McCain’s backing of an immigration reform proposal that included a path to citizen ship for illegal aliens already in the U.S. — which Romney calls “amnesty,” the Boston Globe reports. The proposal failed to get through Congress earlier this year.

The ad then points to Romney’s record as Massachusetts governor on taxes and spending and his opposition to so-called “amnesty,” concluding: “Mitt Romney. John McCain. There is a difference.”

A Globe poll published on Sunday showed McCain and Romney running in a virtual dead heat.

McCain responded to the ad during a Friday morning appearance on the Fox News Channel: “If there’s any doubt that we’re doing well, it’s when Mitt Romney starts attacking.”