LONDON – The bells were ringing across a green and pleasant Britain on Friday morning to celebrate the start of the Summer Olympics.

From Big Ben to the rusty clanger in our old village school, the noise of the bells could be heard for miles.

The only other sound you could clearly hear above them was that of crunching metal – the sound of a politician slamming his campaign car into reverse.

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney came to the United Kingdom to launch an international charm offensive and ended up offending a nation.

On the face of it, his gently expressed doubts to NBC's Brian Williams about Britain's readiness to stage a successful Games were not particularly shocking.

Up until a few days ago, we'd been expressing doubts of our own.

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But now that the Games are officially kicking off, it's party time – and the art of a politician is to judge the mood of the public. And on this Romney – as we say over here – dropped a clanger all of his own.

"Mitt the Twit" screamed the headline in the popular tabloid The Sun. "Who invited party-pooper Romney?" asked the Daily Mail.

Suddenly, Romney-bashing became a new gold-medal event.

Read more Olympics coverage on NBC's TODAY in London blog

At a concert in London's Hyde Park, Mayor Boris Johnson threw Romney's comments right back at him like an Olympic shotput: "There's a guy called Mitt Romney who wants to know if we are ready," he asked the 60,000-strong crowd.

To a man, woman and child they shouted back, "Yes we are."

Slideshow: Venues for 2012 London Olympic Games

Oda / Getty Images

From Wimbledon to Wembley Stadium to The Dome, a look at the venues for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

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British Prime Minister David Cameron was also quick to jump to the country's defense, with a pointed comment sharper than a javelin: "We are holding an Olympic Games in one off the busiest, most active cities in the world. Of course it's easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere."

"Nowhere," of course, meant Salt Lake City. Romney organized the 2002 Winter Olympics there.

Get the latest on London 2012 with NBC Olympics

There were other gaffes: Seemingly forgetting the Labour Party leader Ed Milliband's name and calling him – in a desperate, odd-sounding ad-lib – "Mr. Leader." Spilling the beans about a private meeting he'd had with the ultra-secretive boss of MI6, the British foreign intelligence service. That's one stop short of telling the Russians we're still spying on them.

Oh dear. It's all so different from the other presidential hopeful who visited Britain four years ago. On that occasion there was an air of excitement as Barack Obama charmed his way across London, not putting a foot wrong.

On this one, it feels like someone has tied Romney's shoelaces together.

But like all good politicians he bounced back. On NBC's TODAY on Friday morning he was gracious and warm in his support of the London Olympics – sticking to the script this time.

He can also take comfort in knowing that back home, there are many who will like him even more, just because the Brits like him less.

Ah yes, we may have a special relationship – an "Anglo-Saxon" heritage, as a Romney adviser curiously termed it before the visit. But that doesn't mean we can't throw the pots and pans at each other from time to time.

Slideshow: When the Olympics is your neighbor

A diverse community in East London will welcome the world to Britain for the 2012 Olympic Games. Meet residents and hear how they feel about having a huge, world stage in their backyard.

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After his questioning London's preparedness for the Olympics became front-page tabloid fodder, Mitt Romney spoke out on the gaffe Friday.

“I read the same reports I think a lot of people did about all the challenges being faced by the organizing committee, but after being here a couple of days, it looks like London is ready,’’ Romney told Matt Lauer in an interview alongside his wife at TODAY's London set. “I’m absolutely convinced the people here are ready for the Games.’’

In an interview Wednesday with NBC’s Brian Williams, Romney ignited London headlines like Friday’s “Mitt the Twit” in The Sun when he wondered aloud whether the security and infrastructure of the city was ready for the Games. It was a poorly-timed stumble, as Romney is on a diplomatic journey to the United Kingdom, Israel and Poland.

“It’s hard to know just how well it will turn out,’’ Romney told Williams. “There are a few things that were disconcerting — stories about the private security firm not having enough people, a supposed strike of the immigrations and customs officials that obviously is not something which is encouraging.’’

That prompted a thinly-veiled shot by British prime minister David Cameron, who alluded to Romney’s role in organizing the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

“We’re holding an Olympic games in one of the busiest, most active, bustling cities anywhere in the world,’’ Cameron said in a statement. “Of course, it’s easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere.’’

Video: London mayor: Venues 'as safe as we can make them'

“Of course it is hard to put on Games in a major metropolitan area,’’ Romney told Lauer. “What they’ve done that I find so impressive is they took the venues and put them right in the city. You’re going to be able to be just in the backside of 10 Downing Street for beach volleyball.

“In just a few moments, all the things politicians say will get swept away because the athletes finally take the stage. The Games are about the athletes. That’s why the Games virtually anywhere they’ve been have been highly successful.’’

The Romneys have a direct connection to the competition, as Ann Romney’s horse, Rafalca, will compete in the Olympic event of dressage.

“Watching my horse, it’s like watching your children play sports,’’ Ann told Lauer. “I know every move that she makes, I know when she makes mistakes, I know what her weaknesses are, I know where she may lose the confidence of the rider a little bit. It is nerve-wracking.’’

Mitt will not watch his wife’s horse compete due to his schedule during the diplomatic visit, but he knows her passion for the competition. He joked that one year his sons gave him a rubber horse mask to wear so that Ann would pay more attention to him.

“I give him a pass when it comes to my horses because he’s so, so supportive of me, having to put up with my love of horses,’’ Ann said.

The multi-millionaire former governor has come under scrutiny for the lack of transparency with his personal finances and taxes. He told Lauer that releasing any more information than what is required will give his opposition a chance to use it against him.

“We just laid out exactly what is required by law, which is all of our financial statements and then in addition, two years of tax reports just like John McCain put out,’’ he said. “We looked at what he did, and we’ve done the same thing. It’s hundreds of pages of documents, and my guess is if you decide to do more and more and more, you just give, if you will, the opposition a chance to distort and twist and be dishonest about more material.’’

At the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., from Aug. 27-30, Romney will officially receive his party’s nomination for president. He knows the themes of his nomination speech, but has not put pen to paper yet.

“It will be a great moment and it will be an opportunity to talk about who we are, but also our vision for the country,’’ Mitt said. “I think this has to be an American century as we go forward. I’m concerned that we’re drifting in a direction right now that is not showing the best side of America.’’

“I think it’s an extraordinary responsibility that both of us have right now that we can represent the world in such an important and significant way,’’ Ann said. “I think it will be an opportunity for the first time for the American people to really take a look at us as people, as individuals and who we really are and what motivates us. For me, it’s going to be a moment of great pride.’’

Before he has to worry about making more difficult political decisions, Romney was put on the spot by Lauer for a more pressing decision: Will it be Michael Phelps or Ryan Lochte when they swim head-to-head?

“I think it’s more likely to be Phelps, but I don’t know,’’ he laughed.

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