Mitt Romney's book makes 'No Apology'

Don't expect to read much about Utah or the Mormon Church in Mitt Romney's newest book, "No Apology: The Case for American Greatness."

Sure, he mentions leading the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and even talks briefly about being a bishop in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

But the focus of the more than 300-page book, due to be published March 2, is what Romney believes should be done to strengthen the United States and its role in the world.

Borrowing a theme from his unsuccessful bid for the GOP presidential nomination in 2008, Romney calls for a strong economy, a strong military and a free and strong people.

He goes on to detail an agenda that is summarized in 64 "action steps" in the book's epilogue, a list that includes stopping trillion-dollar deficits, ending illegal immigration, building new nuclear power plants and adding at least 100,000 troops.

"A strong America is our only assurance that prosperity will follow hardship and that our lives and liberty will always be secure," Romney writes in the introduction, according to an advance, uncorrected proof of the book.

Although Romney has yet to declare he's making another run for the White House in 2012, the book is seen as a clear signal he's serious about the race. Romney's last book, "Turnaround: Crisis, Leadership, and the Olympic Games," about what he learned saving the Salt Lake Games from scandal, came out in advance of his last presidential run.

"People who are planning on running for office write a book filled with general policy ideas," said University of Utah political science professor Matthew Burbank. "It's a way to get your name out there."

The key, Burbank said, is to not be too controversial. Romney's book "clearly plays to the right of center. Still, it's designed to appeal to a fairly broad range of people. … The very title of this book is an indication of the kind of argument you're going to get here."

Making the case that America is great is "not a tough position for any politician to take," Burbank said. "It's a fairly tried-and-true standard political tactic, and it's being used in such a way that it's largely unobjectionable."

Romney does attempt to downplay the politics of his proposals. "Despite my affiliation with the Republican Party, I don't think of myself as highly partisan," Romney states. "Neither party can claim 100 percent of the good ideas."