Mitt Romney: Santorum is a good guy, but he’s spent career in Washington - How very impressively polite of Mitt, and how very true of Rick (whom my ex-in laws donated to like drunken sailors on shore leave - for his anti-abortion stance, and there is more than a little bit of irony to that!)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, left, speaks during a campaign appearance at the Family Table restaurant Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012, in Atlantic, Iowa. (AP Photo/Tom Stathis) Atlantic, Ia. – Mitt Romney today called Rick Santorum a friend and noted that the former Pennsylvania senator endorsed his presidential candidacy four years ago, but he added that Santorum lacks the private business experience that Romney has. “I can tell you that our backgrounds are quite different. Like Speaker (Newt) Gingrich, Sen. Santorum has spent his career in government and in Washington,” Romney told reporters after a campaign visit here. “Nothing wrong with that, but it’s a very different background than I have, and I think the people of this country recognize that with the economy as the major issue we have right now, it would be helpful to have someone who understands the economy firsthand.” Romney rarely mentions his Republican rivals on the stump. But he answered questions about Santorum, who is surging in Iowa polls after languishing for months. “Sen. Santorum is a good guy, he’s worked hard,” Romney said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we see him do well on Tuesday night.” Romney led an Iowa Poll released Saturday night by the Des Moines Register, followed closely by Texas Gov. Ron Paul and Santorum, whose numbers have been shooting up. Setting: Romney spoke at the Family Table Restaurant in Atlantic, a medium-sized café that was jammed with scores of reporters and photographers and roughly 200 everyday Iowans. Afterward, the media crammed into a small dining room, and most were asked to get down so that TV cameras in the back could film the candidate. The result was that dozens of reporters knelt in front of Romney, a scene that other politicians surely would savor. Other themes: Local farmer David Denne asked Romney how he would treat China, whose purchase of American grain products helps boost commodity prices. “We have to make sure they trade on a level playing field, that they honor the rules,” Romney said. “…I want to finally begin to buy more of what we sell. I understand they’re buying more of our pork products this year. I want that to continue, but I want to make sure they don’t cheat and kill businesses in this country. Because if they do, why, we’ll keep on suffering as we have. I’ll keep on battling.” Denne, 53, raises corn and soybeans and is invested in an ethanol plant. He likes Romney but is concerned that the former Massachusetts’ repeated tough talk on China could spark a trade war that would hurt American farmers. He said afterward that Romney’s answer was “fair.” He said he remains unsure whom to support Tuesday. “I’ve got to think about it, sleep on it.” Candidate’s day: Romney is to speak at 5:05 p.m. today at Bayliss Park Hall in Council Bluffs.