The Obama campaign has made the "Sesame Street" character Big Bird the star of a new advertisement mocking GOP challenger Mitt Romney's vow to cut federal funding of public broadcasting.

Obama campaign organizers say they are doing it because it was the first thing Romney mentioned when given a chance to address the deficit at last week's debate.

But Romney said it is nothing more than an attempt to distract voters from the president's troubling record.

"You have to scratch your head when the president spends the last week talking about saving Big Bird," the former governor said while campaigning in Iowa Tuesday.

Romney said he'll focus on saving the American people, not Big Bird.

Romney and President Obama will debate again Tuesday.