The Brits, taking a break from beating up on their own politicians over the state of the economy, made major sport out of a seemingly minor gaffe Thursday from Mitt Romney.
The U.S. Republican presidential candidate, in London on the first leg of his overseas tour, caused a stir (or a row, as the British press would say) of Olympic proportions after a perceived snub at the Brits' handling of their upcoming games.
That remark subsequently prompted a retort from the British prime minister, a public mocking by the mayor of London and a Twitter hashtag devoted to the controversy.
The remark came in an interview last night. With the Tower of London lit up behind him, Romney questioned the readiness of the U.K. to play host to the world's greatest athletes.
"You know, it's hard to know just how well it ... will turn out," he speculated and went on to cite reports of logistical problems surrounding the planning, calling it "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," Romney stated.
The candidate later walked his remark back, but British PM David Cameron addressed the comment at a press conference this morning in a not-so-subtle swipe at Romney's stewardship of the 2002 Salt Lake City, Utah, Olympics.
"We are holding an Olympic Games in one of the most active bustling cities in the world and of course it is easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere," he quipped.
The British press doubled down on the hit with headlines reading, "Who invited you?"
The Twitter hashtag #Romneyshambles then sprouted up, inviting tweeters to take shots at the visiting U.S. politician.
London's Mayor Boris Johnson even used Romney's remark to whip up the crowd during the torch-lighting. "People are coming from around the world and they're seeing us and they're seeing the greatest city on earth, aren't they? And there are some people who are coming from around the world who don't yet know about all the preparations we've done to get London ready in the last seven years," he said. "I hear there's a guy, there's a guy called Mitt Romney who wants to know whether we're ready.
"Are we ready?" he shouted, to cheers from the crowd. "Yes we are!"
After meeting with several British officials in the morning, Romney and Cameron met for a sit down at the iconic 10 Downing compound and seemed to have put an end to their face-off as they exchanged pleasantries.
When asked if his remarks were meant to be a criticism of Great Britain's ability to pull off a successful 2012 Olympics, Romney said mistakes are to be expected.
"There are always a few very small things that end up going not quite right in the first day or so. Those get ironed." He added, "I made a few, all of those are overwhelmed by the many things that the athletes carry out that capture the spirit of the games."
Fox News' Nicole Busch and FoxNews.com's Judson Berger contributed to this report.
