WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama delighted his liberal base by coming down on the side of gay marriage, but he cheered the opposition, too.Republican activists now want to use Obama's stance on the issue — public opinion is about evenly split — to paint the president as a flip-flopper and to boost Mitt Romney's image in the eyes of conservatives who are still warming to him.Yet, across the Republican Party, from leaders to activists interviewed since Obama's announcement, there's been wide agreement to use the gay marriage issue selectively — in battleground states that have banned gay marriage, for example— and keep the GOP's national political focus on Obama's stewardship of the economy."I'm going to stay focused on jobs, thanks," House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said repeatedly when asked about Obama's announcement on gay marriage. "The president can talk about it all he wants. I'm going to stay focused on what the American people want us to stay focused on."Romney is taking a similar approach, avoiding any discussion of the issue unless he's questioned about it and focusing on the economy."It's hard right now.