It is a line of attack that has delighted the White House, looking 10 months out to the general election.  But in the particular world of a South Carolina Republican primary, this criticism may turn out to be something of a gift for Mr. Romney. In a state that poses a crucial test of his ability to persuade religious, cultural and economic conservatives that he is truly one of them, he has so far been spared a piercing inquisition about his shifting positions over the years on abortion, gay rights and health care mandates — somewhat to the frustration of his opponents.  “I don’t know why they continue to pound on it,” said Rick Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, conceding in an interview here that he had grown frustrated with the focus on Mr. Romney’s business dealings rather than his evolving views on social issues. “We can’t be distracted from finding a candidate who can draw a clear contrast on the big issues of the day.”  The debate over Mr. Romney’s time buying and selling companies at Bain Capital, which touched off a fierce Republican defense of the merits of American capitalism, has rallied some influential conservative leaders to his side for the first time in the campaign.  The diversion has been a welcome distraction for Mr. Romney from other concerns that are still on the minds of some Republicans here in South Carolina ahead of its primary on Saturday.  At a crowded rally on Hilton Head Island, a woman rose to her feet on Friday evening and said: “Do you believe in the divine saving grace of Jesus Christ?”  “Yes, I do,” said Mr. Romney, a Mormon. “I happen to believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and my savior, but I know other people have differing views, and I respect those views and don’t believe those qualify or disqualify people for leadership in our nation.”  The airwaves here have been dominated by criticism from Newt Gingrich, a former House speaker, who accused Mr. Romney of “looting” companies, and from Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, who suggested that Mr. Romney engaged in “vulture capitalism.” His advisers believe that this criticism could help inoculate him against similar Democratic-led attacks if he becomes the Republican nominee, since the story of Bain Capital could be well-worn by then.  The South Carolina primary still poses an important test for Mr. Romney over the next seven days. He has sent mailers to voters across the state and placed radio ads reminding Republicans that he “shares our values.”  Time is running short for Mr. Santorum, Mr. Gingrich and other rivals to slow his momentum. How Mr. Romney weathers the pressure will help determine the length of the party’s nominating contest and which candidates move on to the next primary in Florida on Jan. 31.  “He has an enthusiasm gap, there’s no question about that,” said Chip Felkel, a Republican strategist who is not aligned with a candidate. “But he’s in South Carolina and not having to talk so much about cultural issues and abortion. Gingrich and Perry are paying the price for it.”  Conversations with nearly two dozen voters across the state revealed little interest among Republicans in the back-and-forth over Mr. Romney’s financially rewarding days as a corporate executive. In several cases, people said they were drawn to Mr. Romney after hearing the pointed attacks from his rivals.  When Donald Hare, 69, a retiree on Hilton Head, was asked if he was a supporter of Mr. Romney, he declared, “I am now.” He added: “What Newt did convinced me. He got into the gutter on Governor Romney.”  But while Gov. Nikki R. Haley of South Carolina introduced Mr. Romney at nearly every campaign stop last week as “the only one that can beat President Obama this next election,” his rivals argued otherwise. A variety of polls show that Mr. Romney has a lead in the race, but not a commanding one.  For his part, Mr. Santorum drew booming applause from crowds of several hundred people as he traveled across the Low Country region of the state last week. He implored those in his audiences to take a deeper look at the Republican field. He boiled down his argument against Mr. Romney to health care, Wall Street bailouts and support for climate change legislation.  “We have our leading candidate, who is downright wrong on all three of them,” Mr. Santorum said. “He creates a window for the Obama machine to make our candidate the issue in the race — not the bad policies of this administration.”  Mr. Santorum notably did not join his Republican rivals in criticizing the business background of Mr. Romney. He focused squarely on his record as governor of Massachusetts, sending forth voters with this thought: “We need contrasts, not just a paler shade of what we have.”  That line seemed to catch the attention of the audience here in Beaufort, where Mr. Santorum stood on the patio of the town’s Yacht and Sailing Club taking questions for more than an hour. The unease over Mr. Romney’s candidacy was clear from the tenor of the discussion.  Jack Schaaf, 85, who sold life insurance here after retiring from the Air Force, said he did not believe that Mr. Romney was sufficiently conservative on social or fiscal matters. He said he had seen most of the Republican presidential debates and intended to watch when candidates gather on Monday in Myrtle Beach and on Thursday in Charleston for two more debates.  Without being prompted, Mr. Schaaf volunteered the fact that he strongly sided with Mr. Romney regarding Bain Capital. He offered an explanation that echoed the campaign’s defense.  “He was running an investment company that put money into distressed corporations and turned them around, reduced expenses or liquidated them. That’s the business,” Mr. Schaaf said. “To be criticized for that is kind of a dirty dig.”  After pausing for a moment, Mr. Schaaf added: “I’m not impressed with Romney. I don’t think he is conservative enough, but he’s certainly better than Obama.”  Ashley Parker contributed reporting from Hilton Head, S.C.
In South Carolina, debate over his work as a businessman has spared Mitt Romney an inquisition on social issues.