(Newser)
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Mitt Romney was backpedaling as fast as he could yesterday after an unidentified adviser derided President Obama for not being able to recognize the depth of the British-American relationship because he can't fully appreciate the shared "Anglo-Saxon heritage," the Daily Telegraph reported Tuesday. "We are part of an Anglo-Saxon heritage," and Romney "feels that the special relationship is special," the adviser was quoted by the Telegraph. "The White House didn't fully appreciate the shared history we have." The Telegraph warned that the comments "may prompt accusations of racial insensitivity." Vice President Joe Biden immediately accused Romney of "playing politics with international diplomacy."
A Romney spokeswoman initially denied that the statements were made, but Romney said later that he didn't agree with the comments. "I'm generally not enthusiastic about adopting the comments made by people who are unnamed. I have a lot of advisers," he told Brian Williams on CBS. "I can tell you that we have a very special relationship between the US and Great Britain. It goes back to our very beginnings—cultural and historical. But I also believe the president understands that. So I don't agree with whoever that adviser might be." Romney yesterday started a six-day trip to Britain, Poland, and Israel, beginning in London.
