Antigay Romney gives and gets at St. Patrick's Day roast

Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney good-naturedly got and gave his share of Irish blarney on Sunday as politicians and community leaders roasted him, the Big Dig, and one another at South Boston's annual St. Patrick's Day breakfast. Romney's out-of-state travels for speeches to Republican gatherings and his rumored 2008 presidential aspirations were favorite punch lines at the popular gathering, held for the first time at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center near the South Boston waterfront. Romney, who's taken fire from Democrats for his travels, also trained his comedic sights on leaks in the Big Dig tunnels, stem cell research, and gay marriage, which he opposes. "I have to admit that, as a Mormon, I believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman, and a woman, and a woman," he said. Like many of the other speakers, state senator Jack Hart, the Boston Democrat who hosted the event, used Romney as the butt of jokes, ribbing Romney about his opposition to therapeutic cloning, or creating embryos, for stem cell research. "I don't know if the governor understands its advantages. He could run for governor and president at the same time. Then, if he were to run for president, he could choose his perfect running mate--himself," Hart said. (AP)