8 gaffes on the road to the U.S. presidency

Mitt Romney's questioningof Britain's readiness for the Olympic Games probably wasn't the most politicallyastute thing to say before a visit to the country, especiallyfor atrip intended to shore up his diplomatic credentials. But Romney isn't the first candidate to make a gaffe duringa presidential campaign.

Here are some other notable campaign missteps:

1.Romney's father, George Romney, then governor of Michiganwas considered an early favourite over Richard Nixon in the 1967 Republican primaries. But Romney's comment that he had "the greatest brainwashing that anybody can get" a reference to the military and state department officials who had briefed him during a visit to Vietnam sank his support.

2. During a 1976 debate with Democratic challenger Jimmy Carter,and at the height of the Cold War, then-presidentGerald Fordsaid, that "there is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and there never will be under a Ford administration."

When pressed by moderator Max Frankel of the New York Times, Fordinsisted thatthose living in Yugoslavia, Romaniaand Polanddid not consider themselves dominated by theSoviet Union,despite the Sovietoccupation of those countries. The press pounced on the president, as some questioned his foreign policy wherewithal. Carter went on to win the election.

3. In 1979, days before he officially announced his bid to unseatCarter as the Democratic presidential nominee, Senator Ted Kennedy was asked by journalist Roger Mudd why he wanted to be president. Kennedy gave what is considered a long and rambling answer, that didn't seem to answer the question.Many believe the interviewseverely hurt his chances.

4. Aftera disappointingthird place finish in the Iowa Democratic caucuses in 2004, candidate Howard Dean attempted to lift the spirits of his supporters at a West Des Moines ballroom.At the end of the speech,Dean, shouting over the loud crowd, saidthatthey weregoing to continue to fighton. Listing off a number ofstates, a spirited Deanended his speech by saying: "And we're going to South Dakota and Oregon and Washington and Michigan, and then we're going to Washington, D.C., to take back the White House! Yaaaaah!" The 'Dean Scream' as it became known, went on to become the source of great ridicule.

5. During an appearance at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, in March 2004,Democratic presidential nomineeJohn Kerry was asked about a particular vote against funding for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. "I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it," Kerry said. Republicans seized on the comment, portraying Kerry as the ultimate flip-flopper.

6. In the early stages of the financial crisisand withthe Lehman Brothers, one of the mostpowerful investment banks, filing for bankruptcy, Republican presidential candidate John McCain insisted that "the fundamentals of our economy are strong." He later clarified, saying he was talking about American workers, but he was skewered by the Obama campaign for being out of touch.

7. Speaking in Seattle in October 2008, then vice-presidential Democraticcandidate Joe Biden seemed to suggest a vote for Barack Obama could sparkinternational turmoil."It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like it did John Kennedy," Biden said.

"Remember I said it standing here, if you don't remember anything else I said. Watch,we're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis to test the mettle of this guy.I promise you it will occur. As a student of history and having served with seven presidents, I guarantee you it's going happen. I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate."

Even Obamasought to downplay Biden's remarks, saying "I think Joe sometimes engages in rhetorical flourishes."

8. In 2008, at a San Francisco fundraiser during the Democratic primary race, Barack Obama explained the attitudessome small-town residents in Pennsylvania.

"They get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

Hillary Clinton, hisDemocratic rival at the time, John McCain, and Republicans all joined in to condemn the remarks as being elitist and demeaning. Obama later clarified, saying what he said came out the wrong way.