Romney Pans Gingrich, Boehner Pans Payroll Deal

Mitt Romney was expected to hog the talk show spotlight today, in what was his first appearance on a Sunday show since March 8, 2010. But he arguably shared that with John Boehner, who, in contrast to earlier reports, gave the payroll tax cut deal a clear thumbs down on Meet the Press. He classified the 60-day extension as "just kicking the can down down the road." He continued, "How can you do tax policy for two months?" His suggestion: "The House has passed its bill, the Senate has passed its bill. Under the Constitution, when we have these disagreements, there could be a formal conference between the House and Senate." More from around your Sunday dial, which was also very Newt Gingrich-flavored, as per Politico:

• Romney on Gingrich: One word: "unreliable." Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Mitt stuck to that theme, calling the former House speaker unreliable on the issue of cap and trade. "Talk about unreliable" was also Romney's response to Gingrich's fairly infamous "this is right-wing social engineering" comment.
• Romney on Obama: The 2012 contender didn't mince words, calling the president "extraordinarily vulnerable." Continued Romney, "His great failing is he does not understand how this economy works."
• Gingrich on Romney's big endorsement: He says he's "delighted" the Des Moines Register backed his rival. "The Manchester Union Leader, which is a reliably conservative newspaper, endorsed me," he said on Face the Nation, calling the Iowa paper "solidly liberal."
• Gingrich on that $1.6 million: He once again argued that he got only a small part of the money Freddie Mac paid out. Though he acknowledged that he should have reacted to the story differently, he defended his work with Freddie Mac. "Do I think there's a purpose in trying to get poor people into housing? Yes."

(More Face the Nation stories.)