Romney's Visit to the "Nation of Great Britain"

That was actually the phrase the GOP nominee used for the name of his host. Of course, no such nation exists (it's the United Kingdom), but never mind. And that was one of his minor incidents. As far as I've been able to tell, according the reports of the mainstream media, this foreign tour was intended to reaffirm Anglo-American chumminess, or some such thing, complete with meetings with Cameron and Miliband and all the rest. There was a faux pas here and there, of course, as one would expect. But there were also slightly more disturbing comments about London's staging of the Olympics.

His was actually meant to be about seeing the Games, but he's generating headlines of a slightly different kind. The situation's all rather entertaining, naturally, since Romney oversaw the Olympics in Salt Lake City, and must be brimming with an arrogance that comes from thinking he's perfectly versed in the challenges of mounting an international on an Olympic scale.

This made me chuckle — a lot:

“There are a few things that were disconcerting, the stories about the private security firm not having enough people, the supposed strike of the immigration and customs officials, that obviously is not something which is encouraging,” Mr. Romney said in an interview with NBC on Wednesday.

That brought a tart rejoinder from Mr. Cameron: “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.” The allusion was to Salt Lake City, which hosted the Games that Mr. Romney oversaw in 2002.

The truth is, Mitt Romney doesn't really like Britain. In his book No Apology, he said that England was basically just a small island that made things nobody wants to buy. (At least he got its name right that time, though.) He just doesn't really get the English, it would seem, as this Telegraph columnist points out:

But his comments to NBC, particularly his doubts about Britons’ ability to celebrate the games, showed how poorly he understands the land of his forefathers. If he possessed a smidgeon of insight into the British psyche he would have known that despite all the pre-match whingeing and the carping, that on the night we will celebrate the games with all the gusto and fervour they deserve. We moan, and then we smile; that is just our way.

One nice thing came out of the whole affair, however, and that was that David Cameron has reaffirmed his support for gay marriage. At least the Tories are making progress in that area. As for that Mitt Romney fellow — have you heard? That guy wants to be president.

(Image: "Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee for the USA presidential election, leaves 10 Downing Street after meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron on July 26, 2012 in London, England. Mitt Romney is meeting various leaders, past and present, on his visit to the UK, including Tony Blair, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg." Peter Macdiarmid/Getty)