American sprinter Carl Lewis, a 9-time Olympics gold medalist, gave his own assessment Friday of presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney's comments about London's preparation for the upcoming games.
"Every Olympics is ready, I don't care whatever he said," Lewis told London's Independent. "I swear, sometimes I think some Americans shouldn't leave the country. Are you kidding me, stay home if you don't know what to say."
Earlier this week, Romney launched the England leg of his first international trip as a presidential candidate by announcing that he saw some "disconcerting" signs regarding London's preparedness for the Olympics.
"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, who organized the 2002 Winter Olympic games in Salt Lake City, told NBC News. "Do they come together and celebrate the Olympic moment? And that's something which we only find out once the games actually begin."
The backlash was swift, despite Romney's attempts to walk back his earlier concerns.
British Prime Minister David Cameron shot back: "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."
London Mayor Boris Johnson also took the former Massachusetts governor to task, referring to him as "a guy called Mitt Romney."
Romney's Olympics comments, as well as some other slip-ups, spawned the phrase "Romneyshambles," which has been used by British media and others to drill the presidential hopeful on his awkward foray.
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