Calling Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney "a great friend," Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson on Monday told a national radio audience that the former Massachusetts governor is not the same man he once was, at least not ideologically.

Anderson, in New York City to speak in favor of impeaching President Bush at a meeting of the Society for Ethical Culture, appeared on Democracy Now!, a syndicated radio program that is broadcast on more than 500 stations across North America, including KRCL in Salt Lake City.

Anderson told host Amy Goodman, "This is not Mitt Romney. If you asked Mitt Romney, sat down and got the real Mitt Romney, first of all, he would say we never should have been in Iraq. Never would Mitt Romney and his wife — and they're a team, believe me — they would never support the concept of kidnapping and torturing human beings. They have always stood up for human rights, fundamental human rights."

Among Anderson's points of criticism were Romney's statements at a recent GOP debate that the U.S. military's detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, should be doubled in size. But Romney campaign spokeswoman Gail Gitcho said Romney has always backed the center and dismissed Anderson's portrayal of Romney's position as a "flip-flop."

"Gov. Romney is a strong conservative," Gitcho said. "It's not surprising that Mr. Anderson disagrees with Gov. Romney on these issues because Gov. Romney's positions are clearly conservative. The fact is, Gov. Romney's message of conservative change in Washington is resonating across the country."

Anderson and Romney became friends when Romney oversaw the 2002 Winter Olympic Games that had started out plagued by scandal but were ultimately regarded as a success.

Romney later endorsed Anderson in his re-election bid for mayor, and in 2003 Anderson returned the favor by backing Romney in his run for governor of Massachusetts, saying in a television commercial, "Take it from this liberal Democrat: If you want an amazing leader, vote for Mitt Romney."

But during his campaign for president, Romney has attempted to distance himself from Anderson. In a March interview with The Associated Press, Romney said, "He was a mayor that worked well with me during the Olympics, and I supported his work as a mayor. I do not endorse or support his views on President Bush or almost any other issue, particularly that's unrelated to being a mayor."

That hasn't always been the case, Anderson said Monday.