Romney Hops on Publishing Bandwagon

Finally, a political book we can look forward to reading

Let's have a big round of applause for Mitt Romney, the latest in a long line of current and former politicians to announce they've landed a book deal! And this one won't be one of those boring "I grew up rough" (Bill Clinton) "and then got fat" (Mike Huckabee) "and never really knew my Kenyan father" (Barack Obama) sorts of memoirs about a hardscrabble childhood and triumph over adversity..thank heavens! Those types of books just bum people out.

With his wealth, his sterling family pedigree, and his resolutely scandal-free personal life, Mitt Romney has by far the least interesting biography of any prominent national political figure -- so bravo to him for figuring that out and instead concentrating on The Issues.

The forthcoming Romney tome, just purchased by St. Martin's Press for an undisclosed amount, promises to offer a steely-eyed assessment of the current state of the nation with a few choice prescriptions for the future.

Titled “No Apology: The Case for American Greatness," the book outlines what appears to be a campaign platform: Mr. Romney’s views on how to create a stronger economy, military and families, and his vision on jobs, education, health care, energy and citizenship.

Number one, it's really about time somebody called out the many Americans who apologize constantly for being so awesome. Number two, by the time the book is released next March, we'll all be illiterate unemployed victims of a Mexican-style cap-and-trade socialist healthcare regime -- so critics will be able to hail Romney's book as "prescient," which is always good for sales.

Best yet, it appears that Romney may have already put in the hard work of writing the whole manuscript himself. "The manuscript is currently 304 pages," reports the New York Times' Motoko Rich, and doesn't that statement have a very different ring from the usual "Politician X will work with a collaborator (wink, wink) to come up with a manuscript sometime in the next couple of years"?

You can fault Mitt Romney for many things, but you cannot fault his work ethic. Or his hair, or his teeth.

Perhaps his writing will turn out to be half decent, as well, and then he's pretty much guaranteed the presidency in 2012.

Publishing industry insider Sara K. Smith writes for NBC and Wonkette.

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