Mitt Romney is making Olympic-sized waves on the other side of The Pond.
The GOP presidential candidate caused an international stir in London when he said that he found “a few things that were disconcerting” about how ready the city is to host the Olympics.
His comment to NBC News set the stage for an awkward meeting yesterday between Romney and British Prime Minister David Cameron, who delivered a stinging retort.
“We are holding an Olympic Games in one of the busiest, most active, bustling cities anywhere in the world. Of course, it’s easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere,” Cameron told reporters.
It was a sharp jab at Romney, who has made his record of running the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics an integral part of his presidential credentials.
Romney tried to repair the damage yesterday before meeting Cameron.
“What I see shows imagination and forethought and a lot of organization and I expect the Games to be highly successful,” he told reporters.
That didn’t soothe London Mayor Boris Johnson.
“I hear there is a guy called Mitt Romney who wants to know whether we’re ready,” Johnson blared to about 60,000 spectators in London’s Hyde Park to watch the lighting of the Olympic cauldron.
“Are we ready? Are we ready? Yes we are!” the crowd bellowed.
Romney’s next stops are Israel and Poland.
* Editorial