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Mitt Romney’s first trip to a foreign land as a presidential candidate has been studded with gems Republicans might wish hadn’t sparkled so brightly. Asked about his wife’s Olympic horse by NBC’s Brian Williams, Romney took the opportunity to opine about the Brits’ preparedness for the Games after 15 years of planning. “There are a few things that were disconcerting,” Romney said. “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.”
You just don’t say such things to your host. But it got worse. The super-secret British version of the CIA — known as MI6 — was not officially acknowledged until 82 years after its creation, and there’s a tradition that you don’t blurt out that you’ve just met with its head. Romney not only mentioned his meeting, he referred to his visit to 10 Downing Street (the seat of government) this way: “Area 51? Yeah, I went. Saw a load of aliens there. What of it?”
And then he described what it was like to “look out of the backside of 10 Downing Street.” In British parlance, “backside” means “ass” — as in human anatomy.
Let’s hope NASA’s new Mars rover, Curiosity, has more sensitivity to local aliens who might send out a welcoming party. Let’s hope it doesn’t say, “I find your planet disconcerting. Can I check out your backside?” A simple “Take me to your leader” will suffice.
For the record, I do hope Romney wins the election. I just wish he could acquire a little of Reagan’s relaxed affability.