Obama ad blasts Romney over teachers

President Obama's campaign is playing the education card against Mitt Romney with a new ad attacking him over teachers and class size.

The ad cites a pair of comments by Romney, one of which is: "We all like school teachers. It's a wonderful thing... But hiring school teachers is not going to raise the growth of the U.S. economy."

The other Romney quote: "All the talk about we need smaller classroom size, look that's promoted by the teachers unions to hire more teachers."

Says the pro-Obama ad: "President Obama has a different view. He believes smaller class sizes and great teachers are a key to a stronger economy and a stronger middle class."

The ad -- called "Wonderful" -- is airing in seven battleground states: Colorado, Iowa, Nevada, Virginia, Nevada, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin.

Romney spokesperson Amanda Henneberg responded:

"President Obama's latest misleading ad puts him directly at odds with his own education secretary, who has promoted teacher quality -- not class size -- as the most important factor in a good education.

President Obama and his campaign have put hypocritical attacks ahead of a real discussion about education policy. As president, Mitt Romney will pursue genuine education reform that puts parents and students ahead of special interests and gives every child a chance to succeed."