Real News' War Room: Mitt and the Olympics

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has found himself in a controversy abroad, first saying during an interview with NBC’s Brian Williams that several logistical issues at the 2012 Olympic games were “disconcerting,” as well as other comments questioning the appetite Londoners have for the games.

Romney's comments have brought about an uproar in the British press, as well as rebukes from London Mayor Boris Johnson and Conservative Party Prime Minister David Cameron, who responded Thursday; “We are holding an Olympic Games in one of the busiest, most active, bustling cities anywhere in the world. Of course it’s easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere,” which some have perceived as a swipe at Salt Lake City, where Romney organized the 2012 Winter Olympics.

While most mainstream media on Romney and the Olympics has focused on this latest slip-up, the Deseret News of Salt Lake City has recently released a two-part report looking at how Mitt Romney ran the Salt Lake City games in 2002, and whether we can draw parallels from this experience to how he would perform as president.

The first part of the report looks at Romney's big picture vision when taking over the games that had been marred in scandal. Romney invested in structures that would be practical for Salt Lake long after the games had left. He was frugal, skipping cabs and serving basic meals to the board members so the money could be spent where it was needed most. The second part of the report examines crisis management, and planning for the games when 9/11 happened.

On 'Real News' Friday the panel discussed the report, and whether Romney's experience as president of the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics can give any indication of the kind of president he would be for this country: