McCain downplays tension with Romney

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) downplayed any past bad blood between himself and former presidential rival Mitt Romney on Sunday, days after he endorsed the former Massachusetts governor for the 2012 GOP nomination.

Appearing on CBS's "Face the Nation," McCain was shown a montage of the 2008 primary race with clips of McCain and Romney trading barbs on the campaign trail. But McCain, who endorsed Romney on Thursday, dismissed the jabs as "spirited discussions."

"You can run clips of [Ronald] Reagan and [George H.W.] Bush in 1980. You would get the same thing," he said.

McCain touted Romney as the "most qualified" of the GOP candidates, and said Romney similarly put aside any prior attacks to back McCain in the last general election.

"After the 2008 [primary] campaign was over, no one worked harder on behalf of my campaign than Mitt Romney did," he said. "You put these things aside ... after it's over, you share the same principles."

McCain added that he would back whichever candidate Republican primary voters elect to represent them against President Obama.

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