''If [Romney isn't] being honest in obtaining the job, can we trust [Romney] if you get the job?''

BOSTON (AP) -- As a presidential contender, Mitt Romney has the looks, the money and the campaign machine. He also has something of a candor gap.

When confronted with questions that might conflict with his message of the day or political record, the Republican candidate has shown a tendency to bob and weave or simply dismiss history. He has done so all year, providing an easy target for his opponents.

''If you aren't being honest in obtaining the job, can we trust you if you get the job?'' Romney rival Mike Huckabee asked on Sunday during an appearance on NBC's ''Meet the Press.''

This past week, Romney did it again over questions about whether he was planning to air negative ads -- in particular on the subject of illegal immigration -- against John McCain. The Arizona senator has been surging in New Hampshire, where Romney is angling for back-to-back victories after a hoped-for win in this week's Iowa caucuses.

''I haven't made any decisions on what issue ads might come forward, down the road, but those aren't what we shot today,'' Romney told reporters on Wednesday. ''What we shot today was just me to camera.''

Most of the time, someone with a "candor gap" as big as Fib Romney's would be called a liar....

-Bob