Romney Now Says London Olympics Will Succeed

LONDON, July 27, 2012 -- Mitt Romney today appeared to "walk back" his critical comments about the London Olympics, saying in an interview that he's now "absolutely convinced" the city is ready for the Games.

Romney told NBC News this morning that "after being here for a few days it looks to me like London is ready." That's quite a turnaround from what he said a few days ago when he called some reports about the Games' organization "disconcerting."

"I read the same reports. I think a lot of people did of the challenges faced by the organizing committee," he said during the NBC interview at Olympic Park in Stratford.

But now?

"I'm absolutely convinced the people here are ready for the games," he said, adding that soon the focus would turn away from the politicians and toward the athletes.

"The games are about the athletes, and that's why the games virtually everywhere have been highly successful," said Romney.

But the this morning's headlines here were already printed before this interview, and the U.K. papers did not hold back.

The Sun dubbed the presumptive Republican presidential candidate "Mitt the Twit," while another paper published an editorial cartoon that showed Romney pasting his campaign sticker over the Olympic logo.

Get more pure politics at ABC News.com/Politics and a lighter take on the news at OTUSNews.com