The fine art of diplomacy - Mitt Romney style

Mitt Romney goes to London, which is awash in preparations and excitement for the Olympics and also awash in hope that the Games will give the city and the country an economic boost, and he promptly rains on their parade. He called their preparations "disconcerting" and questioned the city's enthusiasm for the Olympics. He went on to say, “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.” As for whether Londoners and the British public in general are really looking forward to the games, here's what Romney had to say: 

“Do they come together and celebrate the Olympic moment?” he asked about the British people. “That’s something which we only find out once the Games actually begin.”

Honestly, Mitt, didn't your Mama ever teach you that if you can't say something nice about someone, just don't say anything at all? And did she ever mention that it is impolite to criticize your host? 


I thought Prime Minister Cameron's response to the implied criticism was on the mark.

 “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,” an allusion to Salt Lake City, which hosted Games that Mr. Romney oversaw. 

These kinds of verbal stumbles are, of course, the kinds of thing that Americans have come to expect of Romney. He may, in fact, be the biggest stumble-tongue in politics since George W. Bush. It does not help that he has no authentic persona or ability to connect with people and so he comes across as stiff as a department store mannequin.

Furthermore, he has a very sketchy relationship with the truth, and he's told so many different versions of so many different facets of his personal story and his political stances that it is very hard for him to keep them all straight. And then there are his stump speech and his political ads in which he baldly accuses President Obama of doing and saying things which he demonstrably never did or said.

In short, the man lies and he's rude to boot. Just as rude, it turns out, when visiting foreign countries as he is to people who question him in this country. Mitt the diplomat. Let's hope he gets out of London soon or we may find the outraged British declaring war on us!