Crist changes tune on stimulus

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - In a heated race for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination, Gov. Charlie Crist keeps moving away from his support of President Barack Obama's stimulus package that the governor called "fantastic" and "remarkable" when lobbying for its passage.

Crist said in February that passing the stimulus was too important for partisan politics.

Apparently not any longer.

Faced with a difficult primary challenge from former House Speaker Marco Rubio, Crist now claims he didn't endorse the $787 billion economic stimulus that included a generous contribution for Florida.

On a national cable news show Wednesday night, Crist said he saw it more as Florida taxpayers' dollars coming back to the state.