LONDON — Mitt Romney’s Friday was better than his Thursday.
He did very little.
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The Washington Post’s Dan Balz discusses presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s upcoming trip to Great Britain, Israel and Poland. Although Romney advisers have set expectations relatively low in their public comments about the trip, the candidate is expected to provide some detail on his foreign policy.
The highlights: Romney walked half a mile on a public sidewalk here (driving would have made him late, because of the gridlock), met with Ireland’s prime minister and sat in the Olympic Stadium to watch the Games’ Opening Ceremonies.
Missing, however, was the breakout moment Romney may need to salvage his overseas tour, which got off to a rocky start when the presumptive Republican presidential nominee openly questioned Britain’s readiness to host the Olympic Games.
Romney’s missteps have drawn extensive mockery in Britain and public consternation from both Republicans and Democrats in the United States, and his campaign advisers were at a loss Friday to put a positive spin on the story — other than to look ahead to the next two stops on his tour.
Romney arrived in London under a bright spotlight, as expected, but apparently without a strategy for conveying a message to voters back home — such as reminding Americans of his widely lauded stewardship of the 2002 Winter Olympics or promoting his foreign-policy vision.
As a result, there is now immense pressure on him to find better footing in Israel and Poland. Romney’s advisers hope his events in Jerusalem on Sunday — when he will lock arms with Israeli leaders — could create a moment of strength that might redefine the candidate’s intensely scrutinized audition as a statesman.
“We’re now looking forward to the speeches he’s going to make in Israel and Poland, two other very important destinations that are next on the itinerary,” senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom said.
Fehrnstrom is Romney’s longest-serving top aide and one of his closest political confidants, but his comment came via e-mail from Boston — a fact that neatly illustrated how the Romney campaign has prioritized the foreign trip.
When Barack Obama traveled overseas as a candidate in 2008, it was an all-hands-on-deck event, with senior advisers David Axelrod and Robert Gibbs and a full battery of foreign-policy bigwigs — including Dennis Ross, Susan Rice, James Steinberg and Richard Danzig — at his side.
By contrast, Romney’s top political advisers stayed home, though chief strategist Stuart Stevens flew to London to join the entourage Friday. The only senior communications aide on the ground to help Romney navigate the public-relations controversy that erupted following the Olympics readiness comments he made Wednesday to NBC News was press secretary Andrea Saul.
It appeared the campaign had concerns other than the trip. On Thursday, the Romney media office e-mailed reporters 16 videos, statements, research documents or surrogate event announcements pushing Romney’s economic message, but it sent nothing pertaining to his foreign trip.
In his meetings with British and Irish officials, Romney was accompanied by three policy advisers — former senator Jim Talent, former Massachusetts lieutenant governor Kerry Healey and campaign policy director Lanhee Chen — but they have less experience and stature than those who accompanied Obama in 2008.
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