US Elections: Republican Primaries: Romney often cites his Olympics organizational talents and success, but opponents are not so sure

When Mitt Romney met with conservative Salt Lake activists in February he said, "I led an Olympics out of the shadows of scandal",  repeating a claim he has made over and over  on his present  campaign trail.

But not everyone is so sure about this Romney claim. Not only Democrats, but  also some influential Republicans. They criticize Romney for mainly helping to secure millions in federal tax payer funded earmarks that helped cover Olympic costs.

"One of the things he talks about most is how he heroically showed up on the scene and bailed out and resolved the problems of the Salt Lake City Olympic Games," his direct rival Santorum said during a campaign stop in Columbus, Ohio. "He heroically bailed out the Salt Lake City Olympic Games by heroically going to Congress and asking them for tens of millions of dollars to bail out the Salt Lake games -- in an earmark."

McCain, another "king-pin" Republican went even further than Santorum in his critique and called the Mitt Romney's Olympics "an incredible pork-barrel project for Salt Lake City and its environs."

But times have changed and so has Mr. Romney. Today he is running as a "deficit hawk" and accusing rivals and the Obama Administration of being spent drifts.

Earmarks are a potent issue with the conservative tea party voters that are a key part of the GOP primary. Can they believe what Romney is telling them today?

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