This week on Twitter, The Lucidicus Project posted highlights from Mitt Romney's book, No Apology: The Case for American Greatness (St. Martin's Press, 2010; 336 pp). As the title suggests, the book refreshingly argues in favor of a strong America, in contrast to the submissive, apologetic stance that is widespread among political leaders today.

Throughout the book, Romney makes a number of good points about the deleterious effect of entitlement programs on our future, the problem of overtaxation, and the need for a strong military. From both the book and the Ford Hall Forum event I attended in April, I sensed that Romney would be a strong and effective figure at the negotiating table with foreign heads of state. He is not a pushover, and his command of facts and history is as good or better than most public figures. I have a deep worry, though, that under a highly altruistic Romney presidency, the military would be placed in an impossible dual role of policeman and missionary. In other words, Bush redux.

Alas, onto healthcare. Romney's chapter on healthcare is "Chapter 7: Healing Health Care." It is part diagnosis of what is wrong with healthcare today, and part excuse-making for the miserable Massachusetts insurance reforms that he signed into law. He paints his actions as a good-faith, fiscally responsible way to get everyone insured. Thus, most of my healthcare-related tweets below are critical.

As always, these are my formulations, not direct quotations. The page numbers are provided for reference.

• Romney felt he couldn't fix healthcare until he was governor. Why not start a business or voluntary charity? (p170)
• "The plan would work only if we could get our hands on [federal funds]." So who will the feds turn to, China? (p173)
• Guess who was the biggest fan of Romney's plan in Massachusetts. Yep, Ted Kennedy. (p174)
• Romney vetoed some items, but the legislature overrode him. It's like Chick Morrison: "I couldn't help it!" (p174)
• In Kennedy v Romney on health reform, Kennedy got the last laugh. (p174)
• Romney implies he fought for an opt-out provision for people who wanted to pay themselves. (p175)
• Mitt says there are "very big differences" between Romneycare and Obamacare. Soundtrack: http://dld.bz/krFe (p176)
• Romney calls imposing an individual mandate penalty "reducing tax deductions." Interesting. (p176)
• Romney: Federal incentives for investing in health information technology is not the answer. Agreed. (p181)
• Romney: Trial lawyers funding Democrats is the real example of "putting profits ahead of people." Good point. (p182)
• American experiment? I hope he doesn't regard the matter of freedom vs tyranny as an unsettled question. (p184)
• Romney doesn't actually want free-market healthcare. He just looks for convenient free-market metaphors. (p185)
• "HSAs [Health Savings Accounts] would get healthcare working like a market." Yes, a good start. (p187)
• Pay-for-performance is the way to go, thinks Romney. Careful with that. (p188)
• Rather than single-payer, we should try a single-fee system. (What??? No!) (p188)
• Romney closes with a nice word in favor of free-market healthcare. But is it sincere? (p193)

This is our third book Twead. The next Twead will begin in August.

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