Change! ObamaCare Exempts Obama!

At Politico, "Health Bill May Exempt Top Hill Staffers."

But that's not all, from Cold Fury, "ObamaCare Exempts Obama." And see especially, Senator Charles Grassley's homepage, "Grassley Says Health Care Reform Should Apply to President Obama, Top Administration Officials":

Senator Chuck Grassley today said he will offer an amendment during Senate debate on the health care reconciliation bill this week to apply the reform legislation to the President, Vice President, cabinet members and top White House staff.

“It’s pretty unbelievable that the President and his closest advisors remain untouched by the reforms they pushed for the rest of the country. In other words, President Obama’s health care reform won’t apply to President Obama,” Grassley said. “Last December, the effort to apply any new law to administration political leaders was rejected by the Senate Majority Leader. But there’s no justification for the double standard, and I’ll continue to work to establish fairness.”

This is the kind of thing you'd expect in some tin-pot dictatorship, which is of course what Obama's wrought for the American system.

No word yet on this from Minister of Propaganda Linda Douglass.

RELATED: At Hotline on Call, "Leadership Aides Exempt From Bill?" (via Memeorandum). And Hot Air, "Guess Who’s Exempt From ObamaCare Mandates?"

House GOP Conference: 'This Fight is Not Over...'

From the Mike Pence and the House GOP Conference, "One More Speech About the Same Bad Bill Isn’t Going to Change Any Minds in America ...":

House Republicans, while we are disappointed with the outcome of the vote on Sunday night, are determined to continue to take our case against this government takeover of health care to the American people. The president is planning to sign the legislation today and planning to hit the road to Iowa City this week. But House Republicans believe that one more speech about the same bad bill isn't going to change any minds in America. The American people oppose a government takeover of health care. They oppose the job-killing tax increases, individual mandates, public funding of abortion and the creation of incentives in system that will result in millions of Americans losing the health insurance that they have ...

ObamaCare is About Raw Political Power

From, Christopher Chantrill, at American Thinker, "In Defeat, Defiance":

A liberal acquaintance of mine likes to say that "taxes are the price we pay for civilization." He would, for he's a retired professor from a government university.

He didn't think this up on his own, of course. His soundbite is a quote from Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court by Progressive Republican President Theodore Roosevelt in 1902. Holmes also said, "I like taxes. With them I buy civilization."

Up 'til now, I had failed to come up with a retort to this challenge. But the other day, while awake at 4:00 am (that peculiar time for inspiration), I found my answer.

No. Taxes are not the price of civilization. Taxes are the Cost of Compulsion. Taxing is just what governments do, all of them, from the grandest continental power to the meanest guerrilla band taxing the villagers in its jungle hideaway.

You only have to look at the process that got the votes to pass ObamaCare 219-212 in the House of Representatives on the night of March 21, 2010 to understand the self-delusion in the idea that taxes have anything to do with civilization. Why wonder that the president won't answer the questions of Brett Baier? Why be shocked about the capitulation of Rep. Stupak? Why wonder why so many Democratic House Representatives have caved, bowing to the power that will certainly punish them for a No vote, rather than to the people, who may perhaps forgive and forget by November?

ObamaCare is about raw political power. It is about threats, deals, arm-twisting, and paying for votes with taxpayers' money. Its taxes, its alphabet soup of bureaucratic agencies, its budgetary tricks are about folding the whole vast enterprise of modern American health care under the knout of politicians and special interests. Henceforth, Americans will get health care only if they genuflect to the political gods.

RTWT at the link.

Repeal. Replace. Reform.

From Midnight Blue, "Repeal. Replace. Reform.":

In case you were not aware, here is a preview of the costs you will be burdened with starting this week:

The CBO says that health insurance premiums would rise by 10 to 13 percent in the individual market, in relation to current law. The Medicare Chief Actuary says that the percentage of the gross domestic product spent on health care would also rise in relation to current law, increasing from 17 percent today to 21 percent in 2019. And, as the CBO reports in its latest scoring, as of 2019 there would still be 23 million people in America lacking health insurance.

What about the 23 million who will be left behind with Obamacare? There are fines for them as well:

Under the reconciliation bill that is now before the Senate, individuals who don’t purchase insurance would be subject to a fine of $325 in 2015 and $695 in 2016. Individuals may be subject to a charge equal to as much as 2.5 percent of their income in 2016, if the total is greater than the flat payment.

Three simple words: Repeal. Replace. Reform. Repeat as necessary until January 13, 2013

See also, NYT, "New G.O.P. Slogan: ‘Repeal and Replace’ Health Care Law"; and note how leftists are spinning this, for example, see Ezra Klein, "Republicans might reform health-care reform, but they won't repeal it" (via Memeorandum).

Actually, no. They'll push for repeal, all the way.

Awesome. Photo. Credits. ... Midnight Blue at Flickr.

This is a Big F***ing Deal!

Hey, WTF, this is historic, right?

See for yourself at Ben Smith, "The Mother of All Biden Moments" (via Memeorandum).

And a response to Bob Herbert, from The Lonely Conservative, "Oh, If Only We Could Be as Classy as Joe F#&^ing Biden."

Natch, the nihilists are down with it, "What's the fucking deal?"

BFD Hat Tip: Zazzle.

Randy Neugebauer!

Right on cue, MSM outlets are attacking ObamaCare opponents as "ugly" and racebaiters, for example, at LAT, "From Racist and Anti-Gay Slurs to 'Baby Killer!': Health Care Debate Marred by Ugly Discourse." Of course, there's no evidence of any racial slurs, and leftists are indeed baby killers. (And Barney Frank can kiss a Twinkie, AFAIC.)

And at the video, Randy Neugebauer has no apologies (via Red State):

RELATED IDIOCY: Bob Herbert, "An Absence of Class" (via Memeorandum).

Obama Signs Health Care Bill Into Law

At the New York Times, "Obama Signs Health Care Overhaul Bill, With a Flourish" (via Memeorandum):

With the strokes of 20 pens, President Obama signed his health care overhaul — the most sweeping social legislation enacted in decades — into law on Tuesday during a festive, at times raucous, White House ceremony.

“We have just now enshrined, as soon as I sign this bill, the core principle that everybody should have some basic security when it comes to their health care,” Mr. Obama declared in the East Room, before an audience of more than 200 Democratic lawmakers, White House aides and others who rode a yearlong legislative roller-coaster ride that ended with Sunday night’s House passage of the bill. They interrupted him repeatedly with shouts and standing ovations.

Moments later, the president sat down at a table, and affixed his left-handed, curlicue signature, almost letter by letter, to the measure, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, using 20 pens that he intended to pass out to key lawmakers and others as mementoes.

He was surrounded by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and other top Democratic leaders, as well as some special guests: 11-year-old Marcelas Owens of Seattle, who became an advocate for health care reform after his mother died without health insurance, and Connie Anderson, the sister of Natoma Canfield, the Ohio cancer survivor whose struggle to pay skyrocketing premiums became a touchstone of Mr. Obama’s campaign to overhaul the system.

Vicki Kennedy, the widow of the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, who had been a driving force for health care legislation before his death last year, was also by Mr. Obama’s side. Mrs. Kennnedy wore a blue plastic bracelet around her wrist that said “TedStrong,” and appeared emotional after the ceremony.

“I know how happy he would be,” she said of her husband, adding, “It was so meaningful for him, in a very personal way.”

Got Healthcare?

It's amazing the things you'll find if you doodle around on YouTube long enough.

I found this video last night, while searching for snippets from the March 20 ANSWER protest. It's a short clip from "Got Healthcare? Tough. This is America. Die":

The footage is from last year in Alhambra.

The filmmakers obviously give more weight to health reform backers. But this is hardly an objective piece. I covered the event myself. Tons of communists in attendance. See, "Astroturf at Adam Schiff Town Hall: ACORN, AARP, Organizing for America, SEIU, and Stalinist Apparatchiks for ObamaCare!"

RELATED: At ABC News, "Obama to Sign Health Care Bill Today As GOP Challenges Constitutionality" (via Memeorandum). And, from Michelle, "Obama to sign the Demcare House of Cards."

A Professor's Guide to 'The Pacific'

Fans of HBO's "The Pacific" might appreciate this: "THE PACIFIC 10-Part Miniseries Companion Education Guide," in PDF, at the link.

Hey, What's Wrong With A Little Socialism?

Via Founding Bloggers:

And at Red State, "Healthcare Reform - The Bridge to Socialism."

Punk's Not Dead!

As the ANSWER protest was winding down on Saturday, a punk outfit cranked out an angry set. And amazingly, searching right now for videos of the event, I came across this clip of the band at bottom. If you look carefully, at about 7 seconds, you'll see me standing at left. I'm wearing a black cap and shirt (here), and my hair's getting pretty gray:

A Romney Backlash?

Click on Ben Smith to watch the video (via Memeorandum). This is ridiculous. The Democratic-left is totally freakin', and notice the line of attack: "This is Mitt Romney's bill as Governor of Massachusetts." Blah, blah ...

Andrew Romano's got the classic title, "Absurdly Premature 2012 Watch, Vol. 12: Romney's Ridiculous Response to Obamacare ." And Talking Points Memo's on the anti-Romney bandwagon as well, "Romney + HCR = Toast." Expect more attacks on Romney in the days ahead. He'll be hammered at least as hard as Sarah Palin's been in recent months, and in fact some double-barreled action is being directed at both of them right now (see Chris Good, "Romney Backs Repeal Campaign; Palin Warns of November").

So, let's face it: Mitt Romney's looking to establish himself as the prohibitive frontrunner for the 2012 GOP primaries. And why not? It's certainly not too early, despite the yelps. We'll likely get a couple official announcements from some second-tiered candidates before the year's out (most likely after the GOP picks up congressional seats in November). And Romney's no fool: He's right to start campaigning today, not just for himself, but for the American people. ObamaCare's an abomination. By all means repeal it, the sooner the better.

But note most importantly: This Romney backlash is classic smear politics (and Screaming Howard Dean's the last person anyone should trust on anything). Recall this piece just last week at National Review, "Obamacare Isn't RomneyCare":

In today’s Wall Street Journal, my good friend Grace-Marie Turner of the Galen Institute focuses on the similarities between Obamacare and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney’s health-care plan. But she ignores their more profound differences.

Both include an exchange, a subsidy for the poor, and an incentive for individuals to become insured, the so-called individual mandate.

The difference is that Romney’s plan did not raise taxes on individuals or businesses, didn’t cut Medicare, didn’t include “public options” or raise spending by a trillion dollars, and it didn’t impose insurance price controls. Romney’s plan made no attempt to take over health care. The Massachusetts legislation was a scant 70 pages long, compared to Obamacare’s gargantuan 2,000-page maze of regulation.

Perhaps most importantly, Romney’s plan is a state plan, not a one-size-fits-all federal usurpation of a power constitutionally reserved to the states. States should be free to adopt reforms that work for them. They can borrow the best ideas from one another. The federal government’s role is to be flexible about how their share of health-care dollars may be spent.

I just met Mitt Romney. I'm reading his book, and I endorse it heartily. But to be clear: I'm just as wary of Romney as the next guy. I hammered him repeatedly in the 2008 primaries and to this day I consider Romney a fairly unprincipled flip-flopper. I nevertheless have always thought of him as a basically good and decent man. And I'm frankly impressed with Romney's new "No Apology" tour (he's campaigning as the antithesis of President Obama, and I love his aggressiveness against healthcare).

And finally, something else is crucial: If conservatives join in on the Romney backlash that'll only feed the fortunes of even more unprincipled hacks like David Frum (and his lackeys) and Daniel Larison. It's early, yeah, but not too early to look out for the right's demon-sheep, and that ain't Mitt.

RELATED: From last June, "Romney: President Putting Country in Jeopardy."

Mitt Romney: 'A Campaign Begins Today'

I sure would have liked to have had a few minutes to sit down and chat with Mitt Romney the other night. My sense is that he's the most credible frontrunner for the GOP nomination, credible in that he's probably more electable than Sarah Palin in the general election. I like them both, although I'm ideologically much closer to Palin. That said, I'll be pulling for both Palin and Romney this year as we move into the 2011 "invisible primary" season. In any event, Romney's sure gotten a jump on the competition this morning, with his essay at National Review, "A Campaign Begins Today" (via Memorandum). As Romney rightly indicates, President Obama, with his ObamaCare legislation, has abused his authority and mandate in office:

What Barack Obama has ushered into the American political landscape is not good for our country; in the words of an ancient maxim, “what starts twisted, ends twisted.”

His health-care bill is unhealthy for America. It raises taxes, slashes the more private side of Medicare, installs price controls, and puts a new federal bureaucracy in charge of health care. It will create a new entitlement even as the ones we already have are bankrupt. For these reasons and more, the act should be repealed. That campaign begins today.

Stop the Wars! - ANSWER L.A. 'U.S. Out of Afghanistan and Iraq' - March 20, 2010

The image of these two attractive young women will stick with me for a long time. I approached them as they were preparing their headscarves for the march down Hollywood Boulevard. They led a contingent carrying coffins draped with Palestinian flags. What to think when one sees militant Palestinian jihadis in America? I did not speak with them, but they eagerly posed for the cameras with fists clenched and raised in solidarity. They reeked of hatred, anti-Americanism, and violent intifada against Israel. Something unexpected in Southern California, now mainstream among the college-communist activist networks:

According to the ANSWER website:

We will ... be making dozens of coffins with flags representing the multinational victims of U.S. wars of aggression, and many people and organizations are bringing coffins that they are making themselves. You can help make and carry coffins in the march by arriving at Hollywood and Vine between 11am and 12 noon.

And here's the flyer and map for the event, from ANSWER L.A., "On the 7th Anniversary of the Iraq War: U.S. OUT OF AFGHANISTAN & IRAQ NOW! STOP THE WARS!":

What follows is a chronological account of the afternoon. After parking at a lot just north of Hollywood and Vine, here's the scene at exactly Noon on Saturday. Unlike tea parties, which are grassroots and frequently spontaneous, International ANSWER is the hardline left's protest industry behemoth. Everything is scripted and outrage is manufactured. Don't have a homemade sign? No problem. Hundreds of cheap cookie-cutter protest signs are available for any Jerry Rubin wannabe who comes along. And that yellow box with the "stop the war machine" insignia? That's a donation repository. International ANSWER, a self-proclaimed revolutionary communist vanguard outfit, makes lots of money off this stuff (just temporary capitalist profiteering, no doubt):

Waiting for the march, Rubin-wannabes hang out with the caskets:

With the exception of "O-bomba" here, the protest, by a 3-to-1 margin, resurrected the dreaded Bush-Cheney hatred of previous years (more on that below):

At left below is Michael Prysner. He's talking to Long Beach ANSWER stooge Douglas Kauffman. Prysner is often described as an "anti-war Iraq war veteran," although I've heard conflicting reports on the degree of his direct combat experience. Prysner's reviled by the veterans groups I've spoken with. His discharge information is below (and available on request). He was a communications specialist in Iraq. Active in the "Winter Soldier" antiwar events during the George W. Bush years, he heads ANSWER's para-military resistance unit, "March Forward." The big showcase of Saturday's protest was Prysner's contingent of "Iraq Veterans Against the War." (See also, Ben Johnson, "Communists Against the Military.")

And what would an L.A. antiwar demonstration be like without Vietnam vet Ron Kovic, author of "Born on the Fourth of July"? An American patriot during Vietnam, Kovic's wounds turned him into a man who hates his county, and one who aids the forces of global terrorism. Kovic allied with communist George Galloway to launch Viva Palestina USA, a "humanitarian" group committed to the destruction of Israel. (See, "Hamas Leaders Warmly, Repeatedly Greet Viva Palestina Convoy.")

And here they are, 9/11 truthers. I'm still trying to absorb what these people are about, but the "troofers" always end up being one of the biggest outfits at the ANSWER demonstrations (and FWIW, check the website, We Are Change):

And below, seemed like a real sweet lady. But no word on how many children died under Saddam's reign of terror:

I think this is her husband. He was real excited and proud to be protesting. He can't wait for Bush/Cheney war crimes tribunals, it turns out:

More Bush/Cheney hatred, Latino-style. Passing along the hate to the niños as well (a common occurrence at the demonstration, sadly):

Democratic activists and SEIU thugs came out. These folks want Marcy Winograd in the June primary over Jane Harman of South Bay. Winograd's a radical leftist and President of Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles, the local front for the Progressive Democrats of America. She's an FDL communist and Ron Kovic ally:

Lots and lots of police on hand, up and down Hollywood Boulevard:

Another one of the much fewer anti-Obama signs:

Organizers are readying for the march, with the veterans giving their speeches from the stage. That's ANSWER's Peta Lindsay with yellow shirt and keffiyeh. She's a hardline party cadre for PSL, ANSWER's political arm:

More union thugs, even if she's a pretty one:

As I moved down in front of the stage to take a couple of pictures, some of the flag-bearers blocked my view and hit me on the head with their flagpoles. They know who I am (after having infiltrated their meetings repeatedly), and they obviously can't stand my exposés. The First Amendment for me, but not for thee, I guess:

Starting to march, going west on Hollywood Boulevard, Kovic and Prysner:

I had been hanging out down the street waiting for the march to start, having a slice of pizza and a Coke. Running back to the pizza shop, the woman who served me (in white) steps outside to take a look:

I finished my Coke and ran out to get a snapshot before the marchers passed. Protesters numbered well over a thousand people:

These protesters are from We Are Not Your Soldiers. The hooded guy at center was a native Spanish speaker. He and cohorts in the staging area, near Vine, spoke entirely in Spanish. International solidarity, I guess:

The LaRouchies marched. These folks are not conservatives, so it's time for idiot left-wing bloggers to put that meme to bed. Communists and Democrats attack President Obama as Hitler (just as I reported last year at the Adam Schiff town hall):

Code Pink marched, although Jodie Evans -- President Obama's liaison to the Taliban -- stayed away this time:

Check out this guy's sign. On the front, "BOOSH" (mocking the Jews, I'd say):

And on back, the obligatory Bush/Nazi slur. The "SS" stands for "Schutzstaffel," which was Adolph Hitler's elite paramilitary guard and the Nazi regime's most genocidal detachments:

The march winds down at Hollywood and Orange. We see our Palestinian activists next to their coffins:

A round of concluding speeches. This is Blase Bonpane, a communist "peace" activist with the Office of the Americas:

Bonpane spoke of turning active-duty troops against the war, which would facilitate an American defeat in Afghanistan and Iraq, just like the military insubordination, mutiny, and resistance in Vietnam contributed to the America's withdrawal there (or that's the line heard repeatedly by the ANSWER cadres):

89.3 KPCC has additional pictures, "Hundreds Gather at Hollywood and Vine to Protest War":

I have more pictures too, but this report, long already, is the major record.

The Sun Sets on Liberty

"The Sun Sets on America," via The People's Cube:

But see The Blog Prof, "Liberty Dies With Thunderous Applause!" Also, from Mark Steyn, "Happy Dependence Day!", via Memeorandum.

But have no doubt: The sun will rise again. And come November we'll hear for whom the bell tolls.

Plus, at NYT, "House Approves Health Overhaul, Sending Landmark Bill to Obama," and "A Major Victory, but at What Cost?":

The House’s passage of health care legislation late Sunday night assures that whatever the ultimate cost, President Obama will go down in history as one of the handful of presidents who found a way to reshape the nation’s social welfare system.

After the bitterest of debates, Mr. Obama proved that he was willing to fight for something that moved him to his core. Skeptics had begun to wonder. But he showed that when he was finally committed to throwing all his political capital onto the table, he could win, if by the narrowest of margins.

Whether it was a historic achievement or political suicide for his party — perhaps both — he succeeded where President Bill Clinton failed in trying to remake American health care. President George W. Bush also failed to enact a landmark change in a domestic program, his second-term effort to create private accounts in the Social Security system.

At the core of Mr. Obama’s strategy stands a bet that the Republicans, in trying to portray the bill as veering toward socialism, overplayed their hand. Fueled by the antigovernment anger of the Tea Party movement, Republicans have staked much on the idea that they can protect the country by acting as what the Democrats gleefully call the “Party of No.”

Now, armed with a specific piece of legislation that offers concrete benefits to millions of people — and that promises to guarantee insurance for many who found it unaffordable or unattainable — the White House and Democrats believe they may have gained the upper hand.

“This only worked well for the Republican Party if it failed to pass,” David Axelrod, one of the president’s closest political advisers, said at the White House as he watched the vote count for the final bill reach 219 in favor. “They wanted to run against a caricature of it rather than the real bill. Now let them tell a child with a pre-existing condition, ‘We don’t think you should be covered.’ ”

But there is no doubt that in the course of this debate, Mr. Obama has lost something — and lost it for good. Gone is the promise on which he rode to victory less than a year and a half ago — the promise of a “postpartisan” Washington in which rationality and calm discourse replaced partisan bickering.

Never in modern memory has a major piece of legislation passed without a single Republican vote. Even President Lyndon B. Johnson got just shy of half of Republicans in the House to vote for Medicare in 1965, a piece of legislation that was denounced with many of the same words used to oppose this one. That may be the true measure of how much has changed in Washington in the ensuing 45 years, and how Mr. Obama’s own strategy is changing with the discovery that the approach to governing he had in mind simply will not work.

Historic Win? Folks Will Remember in November

Sarah Palin spoke with Greta Van Susteren on Friday. Palin hammers the Democrat's healthcare takeover:

Plus, from Dan Balz, "Historic Win or Not, Democrats Could Pay a Price" (via Memeorandum):

As the final round of the battle over health-care reform begins Sunday, President Obama and the Democrats are in reach of a historic legislative achievement that has eluded presidents dating back a century. The question is at what cost.

By almost any measure, enactment of comprehensive health-care legislation would rank as one of the most significant pieces of social welfare legislation in the country's history, a goal set as far back as the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt and pursued since by many other presidents. But unlike Social Security or Medicare, Obama's health-care bill would pass over the Republican Party's unanimous opposition.

Even Republicans agree on the magnitude of what Obama could pull off, while disagreeing on the substance of the legislation. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said: "Obviously, he will have achieved as president something nobody else has done. So in that sense, it's historic." But he added, "It doesn't end the health-care debate -- it just changes it. And if it does pass, it would be a historic mistake."

The lengthy and rancorous debate has inflicted considerable damage on the president and his party. It helped spark the grass-roots "tea party" movement and generated angry town hall meetings last summer that led to some opponents painting Obama as a socialist and a communist for advocating a greater government role in the health-care industry. The issue now is whether final passage of the legislation -- Senate leaders say they will take up the reconciliation bill this week -- will cause more harm or begin a turnaround in the Democrats' fortunes heading toward the November midterm elections.

Some not-too-smart leftists think ObamaCare will help Democratic political fortunes. That'd be funny, if it wasn't so sad.

Health-Care Showdown on the Hill - Awaiting Stupak Press Conference! - UPDATED!! Pro-Life Dems Cave, Obama to Issue Exec. Order on Abortion!

You can see CNN's Dana Bash here at the video. This clip is practically real time, as I'm watching Bash right now in my living room as she corrals key Democratic legislators walking by. Representative Henry Waxman wouldn't commit, but he just told Bash that he was confident Dems would have the votes on the floor:

Check CNN's links if you're not following along at home. Wolf Blitzer is anchoring developments. Check some folks on Twitter as well, where you're getting as close to real time as you're going to get. The press conference is starting now, 1:05pm!

UPDATE! Check The Hill, "Stupak, Dems Reach Abortion Deal; 'Eight or Nine' Will Now Vote Yes."

Added at 1:40pm, a copy of the executive order, "Text of Executive Order on Abortion Restrictions."

Added at 1:50pm, some background video on recent healthcare developments:

Added at 2:35pm: I'm trying to figure out the politics on this. I'll have more later, although Carolyn Lochhead's take is interesting, "Pelosi Overpowers Stupak, Path is Cleared." (Basically, Stupak caved under pressure and the executive agreement won't protect squat.)

Also, from Gateway Pundit, "Stunner… Pro-Life Democrat Stupak Was Lying All Along- Will Support Pro-Abortion Obamacare …Update: Stupak Sells Soul!" (via Memeorandum).

Added at 4:10pm: From Rational Nation USA, "Stupak and the Collapse of Rational Opposition."

Mitt Romney in the O.C.!

I met Mitt Romney last night.

He was in town for a book signing at Barnes and Noble at South Coast Plaza. The book's entitled, No Apology: The Case for American Greatness. It's an excellent read. And he's a very friendly guy, seen here signing a book for the supporter just before me:

At the front of the line out front, a couple of hours earlier:

Folks waiting. This woman gave me permission for a snapshot, but refused to smile for the camera, hiding behind her sign:

The event was poorly organized. The line outside was useless. Supporters were already upstairs when the people from outside were ushered into the store. This is as close as I got while Romney made his introduction and thanked the crowd. Hundreds of people turned out for the entire event:

A surprisingly good picture, using the zoom here, with my wife's automatic digital Canon PowerShot A1000:

I didn't have to wait long to have my book signed -- it all happened pretty fast by this time, actually:

Mitt Romney's very pleasant. I introduced myself and we shook hands. He gladly posed for a photograph:

I read three chapters of No Apology while hanging out beforehand. In Chapter 1, Romney excoriates President Barack Obama's leadership and policies. Especially good is Romney's discussion of Obama's "American Apology Tour." He writes:

President Obama is well on his way toward engineering a dramatic shift in ... American foreign policy, based on his underlying attitudes.

The first of these envisions America as a nation whose purpose is to arbitrate disputes rather than to advocate ideals, a country consciously seeking equidistance between allies and adversaries. We have never seen anything quite like that, really. And in positioning the United States in the way he has, President Obama has positioned himself as a figure transcending America instead of defending America.

The sentiment manifests itself in several different ways, including President Obama's American Apology Tour. Never before in American history has its president gone before so many foreign audiences to apologize for so many American misdeeds, both real and imagined. It is his ways of signaling to foreign countries and leaders that their dislike for America is something he understands and that is, at least in part, understandable. There are anti-American fires burning all across the globe; President Obama's words are like kindling to them.

Romney also discusses President Obama's rejection of American exceptionalism and his embrace of the thesis of America's relative international decline. Romney wants nothing to do with such talk:

I reject the view that America must decline. I believe in American exceptional ism. I am convinced that we can act together to strengthen the nation, to preserve global leadership, and to protect freedom where it exists and promote it where it does not ...

That passage previews the direction of the book. Romney's got a plan to restore the American economy, the health care system, the schools, etc. The book's a brisk read, and in that sense it's way less autobiographical that Sarah Palin's, Going Rogue.

The book signing was definitely a campaign event. Romney volunteers had supporters fill out contact cards, with sign-up information for Romney's PAC, "Free and Strong America." Volunteers were also distributing Romney yard signs directing supporters to the book tour website, "No Apology" (note that the tour hits Des Moines, Iowa, on March 29th):

You think that blue button-down is Romney's favorite shirt?

Thanks for reading and tune back in late tonight and tomorrow for my coverage of all the weekend's protest activity.

Kill the Bill! - Nationwide Protests Against ObamaCare

From Michelle, "Day of Defiance: Nationwide Protests as Slaughter House Rushes Through Demcare":

Nancy Pelosi’s Slaughter House convenes at 9am. The chaplain opened with a prayer that had this line: “Shield us with your Holy Spirit, Lord…and drive away all that is evil.”

Amen to that.

On the West Lawn of the Capitol, Tea Party protesters and health care takeover opponents meet at high noon to raise their voices against the rotten policy and rotten process that has led us to this foul moment.

Americans will also gather at demonstrations nationwide to show their disgust and disapproval of the corruption, coercion, and Constitution-butchering.

I’ll post as many reader notices, photos, etc. from across the country as I can. Kicking off the rundown ....

Check the link.

Also, at LAT, "First step begins in the healthcare fray: Committee setting up ground rules."

Obama's Good Vibrations to Iranian Murderers and Thugs

From the White House, "President Obama's Nowruz Message." (Via Memeorandum.) From the transcript:

The United States does not meddle in Iran’s internal affairs. Our commitment – our responsibility – is to stand up for those rights that should be universal to all human beings. That includes the right to speak freely, to assemble without fear; the right to the equal administration of justice, and to express your views without facing retribution against you or your families.

No, Barack Hussein Obama wouldn't want to disrupt the fun and games in Iran. From Pamela: