"As far as the Salt Lake City thing, he's a Mormon and the Mormons of Salt Lake City had caused that scandal..."

Said John McCain's 95-year old mother, Roberta McCain.

"I didn't mean to say it," she said as they stepped away from the cameras.

McCain told The Associated Press after the interview that his mother misspoke.

"Mormons are great people and the fact that Mitt Romney is a Mormon should play no role whatsoever in people's decision," McCain said.

"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."

Old mothers can be a great asset for a candidate. They need to be a little mouthy to work, but that's going to mean that they're a risk. Of course, stirring up prejudice could be helpful, and when mom is 95, there's deniability galore.

ADDED: Video. I don't think ill of McCain's mother, but I hate to see hostility toward a religious group. To me, the fact that Romney is a Mormon only means that he's maintaining a family tradition.