McCain Clarifies Mom's Mormon Slam

Oct. 27 2008, Published 7:07 a.m. ET

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Arizona senator John McCain's mother was forced to retract a statement she made Friday about Mitt Romney, a rival for her son's presidential aspirations. Appearing on MSNBC, Mom McCain blamed "the Mormons" for the scandals surrounding the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. Her son immediately disavowed her remarks, and assured America that "Mormons are great people and the fact that Mitt Romney is a Mormon should play no role whatsoever in people's decision. What she meant was the Olympics were screwed up by the people in Salt Lake when Romney came in and fixed the problems there. But I know my 95-year-old mother is certainly in favor of Mormons." Fine by us. More interesting: On the incredibly slim chance that he gets elected, John McCain will be the oldest president ever. Nice to know that he's got the genes that will keep him upright and saying crazy stuff for at least four years. AP