WASHINGTON (AP) -- Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are virtually tied heading into the critical Republican presidential primary in Michigan on Tuesday, where the outcome could further boost Romney's tenuous front-runner position or upend the race for the party's nomination to challenge President Barack Obama in November.

The vote in Michigan will test former Pennsylvania senator Santorum's far-right message on social issues and determine how badly Romney has damaged his chances in his native state by continuing to insist that Obama was wrong to bailout the U.S. auto industry, the heart of the state's ailing industrial base.

The auto giants General Motors and Chrysler Corp. have come roaring back from near-collapse after a huge infusion of federal money, managed bankruptcy and wrenching reorganization. Romney's opposition to that Obama program has hurt him in Michigan, where even the Republican governor and GM chief, also a Republican, flatly disagree with Romney. Polls show Obama with a double-digit lead over both Romney and Santorum in the Midwestern state.

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Arizona also holds its primary on Tuesday and Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, is expected to post an easy victory in the state. He picked up the endorsement of the state's deeply conservative Gov. Jan Brewer on Sunday. Romney's tough stance on illegal immigration is closely aligned with Republican sentiment in the state that borders Mexico and has moved aggressively against immigrants who are in the country illegally. Portions of a new state law were challenged by the Obama Justice Department and will be decided this spring by the U.S.Supreme Court.

As the Republicans battle for the nomination, all of them, including former speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and Texas Rep. Ron Paul, now trail Obama in national polls. The president has seen his approval ratings improve in tandem with signs that the struggling U.S. economy is finally on the way toward a robust, albeit still shaky, recovery from the Great Recession of 2007-2009.

Both Romney and Santorum were holding, nevertheless, to their positions before the Michigan vote. Each also made appearances before the Daytona 500 stock car race in Florida, an event popular with conservative voters. Santorum was even sponsoring a car in the race.

Earlier in the day, Romney continued railing against the auto bailout in an appearance on Fox News, accusing Obama of having opened the federal checkbook as a means of paying off the United Auto Workers (UAW) union for its support in his 2008 election victory.

Obama insists that the auto bailout saved at least a million U.S. jobs at a time when the economy was crashing and in danger of moving into a depression.

Romney, however, kept up his criticism, saying Obama "was paying off the people that supported him and that, by the way, are trying to get him re-elected."

For his part, Santorum continued his play for the most conservative Republican voters, calling Obama a "snob" for his policy of trying to make college available to all young Americans who want to further their education.

"President Obama once said he wants everybody in America to go to college. What a snob," Santorum said on NBC's "Meet the Press." ''There are good decent men and women who go out and work hard every day and put their skills to test that aren't taught by some liberal college professor to try to indoctrinate them. Oh, I understand why he wants you to go to college he wants to remake you in his image."

Santorum urged Michigan voters to turn the race "on its ear" by rejecting Romney in Tuesday's primary in his native state, in which Romney is spending heavily to avoid an upset. Santorum said Romney's record is virtually identical to Obama's on some key issues, especially mandated health insurance coverage, making him a weak potential nominee.

"Why would we give away the most salient issue in this election?" an impassioned Santorum told more than 100 people in a remote, snow-covered region of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Santorum said he is the true conservative on fiscal and social issues.

Romney rejected the claims.

"The biggest misconception would be that I'm a guy that comes from Massachusetts and therefore I can't be conservative," Romney told "Fox News Sunday." In his one term as Massachusetts governor, he said, he balanced budgets, reduced taxes, enforced immigration laws, "stood up for traditional marriage" and was "a pro-life governor."

"I'm a solid conservative," Romney said.

Since the Republican nominating campaign began in earnest late last summer, Santorum is the fifth candidate to seriously challenge Romney, who has failed to win the hearts of the most conservative Republican voters. They dominate the state-by-state primary and caucus contests and are suspicious of Romney's once-moderate stands on issues like abortion and gay rights.

Gingrich is not competing in Michigan or Arizona. He attended church services Sunday in Georgia, where he launched his political career, and warned an audience that the "secular left" was trying to undermine principles established by the Founding Fathers. He said America had faced a "50-year assault" by those trying to alienate people of faith.

He was joining in on a message from Santorum who also said on Sunday that he opposed a strict separation of church and state as dictated in the U.S. Constitution.

That kind of message and Romney's attempts gain favor with the Republican hard right has led to polls showing that Obama is recapturing the backing of independent voters -- those that are not members of either party -- who were key to his strong victory over Sen. John McCain in 2008.

Gingrich's campaign has struggled since winning South Carolina's primary on Jan. 21, watching as Santorum has emerged as Romney's chief rival. Gingrich is trying to regain traction in Georgia, which he represented in Congress for 20 years, Tennessee and other states voting March 6, or Super Tuesday, when 10 states hold nominating contests.

In a new sign that the Republican campaign will be lengthy, Santorum is expected to get Secret Service protection Tuesday, according to an administration official with knowledge of the plan. Romney has received protection since Feb. 1.

Gingrich requested Secret Service protection last week and is awaiting word on whether he will receive the security, a person close to the campaign said Sunday. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security matters.

Federal law allows candidates to seek protection if they meet a series of standards, including public prominence as measured by polls and fundraising.

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Associated Press writers Charles Babington and Kasie Hunt in Michigan and Ken Thomas in Georgia contributed to this report.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Virginia governor no longer fully supports ultrasounds before abortions

RICHMOND — Gov. Robert F. McDonnell is backing off his unconditional support for a bill requiring women to have an ultrasound before an abortion, focusing new attention on one of the most controversial pieces of legislation in Virginia’s General Assembly this year.

Until this weekend, McDonnell (R) and his aides had said the governor would sign the measure if it made it to his desk. McDonnell, who strongly opposes abortion, will no longer make that commitment.

But delegates and governor’s staff were scheduled to meet Tuesday night to strike a compromise after learning that some ultrasounds could be more invasive than first thought, according to two officials who were aware of the meeting but not authorized to speak about it publicly. Many of the bill’s supporters were apparently unaware of how invasive the procedure could be, one of the officials added.

The Virginia legislation has become part of the broader national debate over reproductive rights and has drawn attention to McDonnell, a rising star in his party and a possible vice presidential contender. The legislation has been the topic of cable news shows, was part of a “Saturday Night Live” sketch and drew protesters to Richmond on Monday.

McDonnell’s office would say Tuesday only that the governor will “review” the bill if it is approved.

“Our position is: If the General Assembly passes this bill the governor will review it, in its final form, at that time,” McDonnell spokesman Tucker Martin said in a statement. He declined to explain the change in approach, but Virginia’s governors can sign, veto or amend legislation.

The House and Senate have approved their versions of the bill. On Tuesday, the House postponed a final vote on the legislation— as well as votes on other measures on guns and adoption — for the second day in a row.

“Something is happening,’’ Jessica Honke, a lobbyist for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, said hopefully. “It’s important for [the governor] to take a long, hard look before he actually does this.”

In recent days, abortion supporters have emphasized that women in the earliest stages of pregnancy may require a probe instead of an external test.

About 1,200 men and women held a silent protest outside the state Capitol on Monday, wearing hand-decorated T-shirts that bore such messages as “Virginia is for lovers, not probes.’’

Opponents of the measure expect to turn over petitions with 25,000 signatures on Wednesday and are planning a second rally on Thursday.

In the past week, the issue has been featured on left-leaning shows, including “The Rachel Maddow Show” and “PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton.” And “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” arrived in Richmond on Tuesday to film.

The legislation is being used against Republicans outside of the General Assembly. National and state Democrats have criticized U.S. Senate candidate George Allen for his anti-abortion stand and have derided McDonnell, who has hit the campaign trail for presidential hopeful Mitt Romney.

Republicans at the Capitol, however, remain optimistic that McDonnell will sign the measure.

“The governor is strongly pro-life, and I think he would hold consistent in his support for this bill,” said Del. Ben L. Cline (R-Rockbridge), co-chairman of the Conservative Caucus.

Republicans, in control of the General Assembly since last month, have other abortion-related bills pending during the 60-day legislative session.

Bills ending state subsidies for low-income women to abort fetuses that have serious birth defects and giving rights to a fertilized egg at the moment of conception are working their way through the legislature.

Del. Lionell Spruill Sr. (D-Chesapeake) took to the House floor Tuesday to say: “I’m deeply disappointed in some of you. I can’t believe you would disrespect women in this county, in this state.”

The ultrasound legislation would require women to undergo a test to determine the gestation age of the fetus, hear the heartbeat and be given an opportunity to see the images.

A woman who refuses to look at the ultrasound would have to sign a statement, which along with a print of the image would become part of her medical file.

The bill also would require women who live within 100 miles of their abortion provider to wait at least 24 hours before having the procedure, except in emergencies. Those who live farther would have to wait two hours.

Supporters of the ultrasound measure say it would provide crucial medical information to women seeking abortions; opponents say it would subject women to unnecessary tests and invade their privacy.

It is unclear whether insurance companies would cover the procedure.

Democrats hope to alter the bill on Wednesday to make the ultrasound voluntary.

“There is no doubt that this bill .?.?. is fundamentally and seriously flawed,” Del. Charniele Herring (Alexandria) told her colleagues. “It is time to end the shame that has been brought to Virginia and to this chamber by this extreme bill.’’

The officials with knowledge of Tuesday night’s Republican meeting said GOP leaders hope to introduce amendments on Wednesday, but it is unclear whether the rank and file would support them.

McDonnell, who signed legislation last year that imposed new regulations for abortion clinics, first said last month that he would sign the ultrasound bill. His position was reiterated by his press secretary, Jeff Caldwell.

Victoria Cobb, president of the conservative Family Foundation, which considers the ultrasound bill one of its top priorities, said Tuesday that she and her staff were trying to determine what they need to do to persuade the governor to sign the legislation.

“It is a change as far as I can tell,” she said of McDonnell’s shift.

By Anita Kumar, Published: February 21 Washington Post

Milestones: Whitney Houston

NEW YORK (AP) -- Whitney Houston's downfall was so long and sad that, in an impatient public's mind, it overshadowed her many accomplishments.

Those achievements can be checked off easily in numbers - Grammy Awards, records sold, the string of seven consecutive No. 1 singles. Yet if there's any solace to her passing, it is that people will revisit recordings, videos and films to rediscover the majesty of her work.

Look up the video for one of those hits, "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)." The arrangement and instrumentation - cheesy synthesizers, booming drums - date the recording immediately in the late 1980s.

It's a pop confection that could have been sung by any singer who might have been forgotten in a couple of years. Houston lifted it above the average with a voice that could just as easily be found on a gospel record or opera stage. She danced through it with a bearing that made you think of Michael Jordan stopping off at a schoolyard basketball game, knowing that she had far more talent than anyone around her.

The daughter of Cissy Houston and cousin of Dionne Warwick, Houston had talent that surpassed each of them. Her godmother was Aretha Franklin - how's that for pressure? - but in her prime, Houston's voice could match the Queen of Soul's.

"Didn't We Almost Have It All" and "How Will I Know" were other standouts, evidence that Houston could master balladry and up-tempo songs. She was one of longtime music executive Clive Davis' greatest signings, and although Davis may not have challenged Houston enough, he at least put her in position to shine.

Anyone who saw Houston perform "The Star Spangled Banner" before the 1991 Super Bowl will always remember it.

The 1992 film "The Bodyguard" and its soundtrack will remain her signature achievement. She portrayed a superstar singer, alternatively tough and vulnerable, guarded by a former Secret Service agent played by Kevin Costner. For the soundtrack, she took a little-known Dolly Parton song, "I Will Always Love You," and made it her own. And then some.

Again, there are the kudos - it won the Grammy Award for record of the year. The performance itself was remarkable. Houston's voice soared with the power of a jet engine and kept perfect tone for the quieter, tender moments. Every artist has a defining song; if they're lucky, it also shows the peak of their powers.

The hits didn't dry up immediately, but they became less frequent. Her marriage to singer Bobby Brown was ill-fated and she descended into drug abuse.

In September 1997, I had an interview scheduled with Houston as she was promoting a concert being televised on HBO. It was by phone, but the appointed hour of her call came and went. No Houston.

The next day a huge floral arrangement was delivered to The Associated Press office addressed to me with a note of apology attributed to Houston. When the interview was rescheduled, I thanked her for the arrangement and said it wasn't necessary. She had no idea what I was talking about.

One suspects there were many years and many other examples of instances like that, of covering Houston's tracks as she became increasingly unreliable. The years of abuse took a terrible toll on her talent. She made a comeback in 2009 with a "Good Morning America" concert that was sad to watch. She went through the motions and played hard to the crowd, but her voice could no longer hit the notes that once seemed effortless.

During that 1997 interview, Houston deflected talk about a life and marriage that was already clearly troubled.

"I didn't get in the business to talk about my personal life," she said then. "I got in the business to sing, to try to make music and to try to make people happy ... if I can.

"My life doesn't go on record. My voice does."

It is the only thing to be thankful for with this sad story.
By DAVID BAUDER 
AP Entertainment Writer  

If you’re struggling to pay credit card debt, car loans or even gambling debt, you can wipe the slate clean in bankruptcy. Struggling to pay your student loans? Sorry, you’ll just have to figure that one out on your own.

In an effort to shed light on a policy they say “doesn’t make any sense,” a group of bankruptcy lawyers issued a report on Tuesday that highlights the need to change the U.S. bankruptcy code so that it offers college grads relief from inescapable debt loads. In the report from the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys(NACBA), four out of five of the 860 lawyers surveyed said the number of potential clients they encounter with student loan debt has “significantly” or “somewhat” increased over the past 3 to 4 years.