Before Governor Romney started his packed day campaigning in Iowa I did a phone interview with Martha MacCallum on the Live Desk. We covered Hillary Clinton’s new ad, the Rudy vs. Romney immigration showdown and even a bit on embed life. Please click below to listen and let me know what you think!

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Romney focused on health care today talking with doctors, medical students, and average voters. But, the day began with the unveiling of Hillary Clinton’s new ad where she shows a still picture of Governor Romney. It doesn’t mention him by name, but the Romney campaign sent out a response saying, “Governor Romney also has a record of, and reputation for, actually getting things done. Senator Clinton has a reputation for one thing: partisanship. Extreme partisanship.” An ad that has a voice over saying, “The same old Republican attack machine” is not something you would think the campaign would be excited about, but being the focus of Clinton’s swipes is a compliment for the Governor, especially when it’s him and not his rival for the Republican nomination, Rudy Giuliani.

At the Iowa frontrunner’s first event Romney went into the gritty details of his health care plan going through a power point of the specifics of his Massachusetts plan and his new health care plan. He even said under his administration all Americans would have access to health insurance within four years, “I just want to underscore something. We can get everybody in this country insured. My plan is designed to get everybody in this country insured. My estimate that from the time you would put in place this program, pass the legislation necessary to put in place this program, within in four years every American would be insured.” He didn’t explain how exactly he would be able to do it such a short time.

Later, at a press availability I asked Governor Romney about his one hundred dollar penalty per month in Massachusetts for people who do not have health insurance. The penalty goes on your tax bill, but Romney said it is not a tax hike instead it is just personal responsibility, “Recognize that it is the ultimate conservative view that people have the responsibility to care for themselves, not to look for government to care for them and my proposal and basic structure made a system that individuals can afford. People can buy insurance or pay their own way at the hospital. Instead of expecting government to pick up the tab. Government reliance is not a conservative principal and that’s what exists all over the country except now in Massachusetts.”

The governor ended his day with another Ask Mitt Anything in Newton, IA where he continued his attacks on Senator Clinton. This time focusing on her Iraq policy after an Iowan asked how he would differentiate from her if they both win the nomination, a dream question for Romney. He even got some laughs out of it.

“Look at Iraq. I don’t know exactly where she will be at that point on Iraq. She doesn’t either. It’s a little like where she was on driver’s licenses for illegal aliens. You can’t quite tell. She wants you to know that she voted for it, but she’s not quite sure. So anyway I’m not quite sure where she will be. “

 He went on to press that the surge is working in Iraq, something he mentions on the stump almost every day.

Romney will continue campaigning in Iowa tomorrow before going home to Massachusetts for the Thanksgiving holiday.