Mitt Romney stepped up his criticism of rival presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani yesterday in New Hampshire, adding the line-item veto to the list of issues where he's worked to outflank the former New York mayor to the right.

Romney, a Republican and former Massachusetts governor, attacked Giuliani for his role in a 1997 lawsuit brought by New York City in which the Supreme Court ultimately declared the line-item veto unconstitutional.

"He was the person in this nation most single-handedly responsible for ending the line-item veto. . . . We had it. He fought it," Romney told reporters in Derry. He called the veto, which let the president remove parts of spending bills, "the single most important tool the president had to reign in wasteful spending."

The response from Giuliani's campaign was swift. His campaign said that the former mayor "has always" supported the line-item veto but believes a constitutional amendment must be passed to make it legal. And the campaign tapped another former Massachusetts governor - Paul Cellucci - to denounce Romney's record in a conference call with reporters.

Cellucci called Romney's case "pretty weak arguments from a Governor who in four years really had no tax cuts for the people of Massachusetts." Cellucci added: "He's up in New Hampshire talking about he wants to cut taxes. I think you have to look at the records and ask the question, did you cut taxes in Massachusetts?"

Recent polls taken in New Hampshire show a tightening race, with Giuliani now within four points of the first-place slot Romney's essentially held since May. Cellucci attributed Romney's attacks to "desperation as the polls close in."

Meanwhile, Romney kept up previous criticism of Giuliani about immigration, accusing Giuliani of overseeing a "sanctuary city" in New York. In response to a question about family values, Romney touted his own 38-year marriage, an implied contrast with Giuliani, who has been married three times.

"It's no question that the president has a bully pulpit, and also a bully example," Romney said at his final stop in at Wheeler Memorial Chapel in Merrimack.

Romney also engaged in traditional retail politicking yesterday on a walk through downtown Derry, talking the finer points of making mozzarella with the proprietors of Sabatino's Italian restaurant and photo preservation with the shopkeeper at Scrapbook Island. On his stroll, Romney towed an entourage of about 40 reporters, photographers and staffers.

The legendarily feisty New Hampshire voter was in peak form yesterday at several of Romney's stops. Bedford tax auditor Kevin Boland, 57, referenced Romney's Mormon faith in asking him if he would support more public holidays to reflect the nation's diversity. Manchester high-schooler Zac Carr, 17, asked Romney how his plan to expand the conventional military would do any good in fighting the unconventional tactics of terrorists.

A retired wildlife biologist in a bright orange hunter's cap bounded up to Romney at MaryAnn's Diner in Derry. "It's 80 degrees today!" boomed Eric Orff, 57, a former state employee from Epsom. "What are you going to do about global warming?"

Romney pledged to work on reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil and cutting car emissions. Responding to Orff's follow-up question, he said he would start on the first day of his administration.

Orff, a registered independent, said he drove to Derry to talk to Romney after a sweaty morning hunting pheasants. "The ducks aren't migrating," he said. "Today it was in the 80s. I should have been out there with a hat and coat."

As for Romney's answer, Orff said he liked that the candidate promised to get cracking early, but he's still undecided. "I'm searching for the right answer," he said.

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