Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman are total frenemies

There is more than a passing comparison between Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman. The two prospective 2012 contenders are both Mormon, both ex-governors, and both are on the moderate side when it comes to social issues.

On top of all that, as Politico's Molly Ball and Jonathan Martin note in a long piece on the Romney/Huntsman history, the two sport a similar look, with "chiseled features and terrific hair."

While Romney and Huntsman have publicly made nice over the years, rumor has it the two have little regard for one another. It is a feud that likely won't be resolved as they both try to claim the same political ground ahead of the 2012 campaign.

Already, it's a rivalry that has all the makings of a GOP version of "Mean Girls."

For one thing, Romney is said to be still pretty mad that Huntsman opted to endorse John McCain in the 2008 GOP presidential primary—even though Huntsman's father was a major donor to the ex-Massachusetts governor. At the time, Romney's camp played off the endorsement as Huntsman angling to raise his profile and land a job in Washington.

But now, according to Politico, Romney's supporters are irked about the prospect of a Huntsman 2012 run. They accuse the ex-governor-turned-Obama-appointee of trying to steal the spotlight by playing up his religion—even though Huntsman, by his own admission, has said he's not particularly religious.

"He was for McCain when that was necessary, then he was a Democrat as long as he needed to be a Democrat and now he'll be a Mormon as long as he needs to be a Mormon," said an influential Romney backer from Utah.

In other words, the bad blood between Romney and Huntsman might just put that other feud between Romney and Sarah Palin to shame.

(Photo of Romney and Huntsman in 2005: Douglas C. Pizac/AP)