Auto Bailout Takes Center Stage In Ohio

Four Pinocchios! That's how The Washington Post rated the latest Mitt Romney ad, criticizing President Obama on the auto bailout.

The ad is playing in Ohio, and claims that Obama "sold Chrysler to the Italians, who are going to build Jeeps in China."

According to the Bloomberg story quoted in the ad, the chief operating officer of Fiat and Chrysler in Asia "referred to adding Jeep production sites" in China, in order to accommodate rising demand in that country, "rather than shifting output from North America to China."

Obama came out with his own ad, refuting Romney's claim and noting that Jeep is actually adding about 1,100 jobs in Toledo.

The auto bailout has taken center stage in Ohio with both candidates trying to paint himself as a friend to the car industry.

Both campaigns have canceled some events this week due to Hurricane Sandy.

But Karen Kasler of Ohio Public Radio predicts the candidates will turn up in the Buckeye State before the weekend when early voting begins.

"The state is too important for the candidates to skip in the days before the election," Kasler said.

But will the latest dust-up over the auto bailout make a difference in the election? In the latest Washington Post-ABC poll, Obama leads Romney 49 to 48 percent in Ohio.