Hewitt: Romney might be "over-qualified'' for presidency

Hugh Hewitt's long-awaited new book on Mitt Romney is finally out. To no one's surprise, it paints a largely adoring portrait of the former Massachusetts governor. Hewitt, a popular conservative commentator and radio host, has long been kind to Romney's candidacy, even though he's bristled at such suggestions.

The book, "A Mormon in the White House?" (Regnery Press) largely dispatches with that pretense -- Hewitt acknowledges that he would pull the lever for Romney if the primary were held today. "I have never met a more intellectually gifted, curious, good humored, broadly read, and energetic official than Mitt Romney," he writes in the introduction. Hewitt also concludes that "Mitt Romney is qualified to be president. Perhaps even over-qualified."

And yet, press materials accompanying the book quote Hewitt contending that Romney didn't actually want the book out: "This is the book Mitt Romney didn't want written. It explores the angles the mainstream media would never see, and raises the questions Mitt Romney would rather disappear."

That's hard to square with the fact that Romney and his family granted Hewitt extended interviews for the book. Romney has already written a book about his stewardship of the 2002 Winter Olympics, called "Turnaround," but "A Mormon in the White House?" -- despite its provocative title -- will, from Romney's perspective, no doubt be a welcome addition to the shelves.