As part of a Democratic campaign running in key states nationwide, the DFL on Monday tagged Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney as a flip-flopper.

"Mitt Romney can't even take a position on taking a position," DFL chairman Ken Martin said after playing a four-minute "Mitt v. Mitt" Democratic National Committee (DNC) video.

The Monday release was the first significant roll-out for the DNC in advance of the 2012 presidential race in Minnesota. But owing to President Obama's relatively high approval ratings in Minnesota and the state's relatively late caucus date, the Democratic group did not accompany the video with paid media spots here. Those spots will run in six other states, including Wisconsin.

The ads promise "the story of two men trapped in one body."

Martin said Romney, like former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, is hard to pin down on anything. In attacking Romney, Martin gave an odd sort of compliment to Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, comparing her to the late Democratic U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone.

"Michele Bachmann at the end of day has been very consistent in her viewpoints. I don't agree with her viewpoints at all, but she's been very consistent and very genuine in what she believes. ... The reason people give someone like a Paul Wellstone some credit and give someone like a Michele Bachmann some credit is because at the end of the day they feel that she and someone like Paul believe honestly what they said," Martin said.

In reaction to the DNC's new push, the Romney campaign made a dozen conference calls to defend the former Massachusetts governor's record. Among those reacting was Pawlenty.

"The strongest Republican candidate in the field to run against and defeat Barack Obama is Mitt Romney," former presidential candidate Pawlenty said. "They are purposely and systematically now trying to tear him down."

Although Pawlenty did not directly address the flip-flopping allegation, he shared a new description of the president: "President Obama, when it comes to the economy, is really the Barney Fife of presidents."

For those too young to recall, Fife was the bumbling Mayberry deputy sheriff on "The Andy Griffith Show," a sitcom that aired from 1960 to 1968.

Rachel E. Stassen-Berger • Twitter: @rachelsb