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SALT LAKE CITY -- Political powerhouse Mitt Romney spoke to a crowd of thousands at the Salt Palace Saturday night as part of a tour for the book he recently authored.
"No Apology: The Case for American Greatness" tops the New York Times' Bestseller list.
Things went well for the former president of the Salt Lake Olympic Organizing Committee and governor of Massachusetts, both during his speech and the question and answer portion of the evening.
Going into Saturday's speech, it was clear Romney would be talking to a room full of supporters. One supporter, Maggie Frabrizio, said, "I think he seems like a really good guy and I'd like to hear what he has to say."
Not surprisingly, he got a standing ovation when he took the stage with his wife, Ann.
Romney spoke for about an hour, talking of personal stories and history lessons mixed with thoughts on the current state of America's economy.
He was hard on President Barack Obama's performance thus far.
During the question and answer session, 12-year-old Jaxon Jorgensen of Bluffdale said, "I think I'm asking a question a lot of people are wondering, and that is, are you going to run for president?"
The audience was waiting to hear the answer, but Romney says he has yet to decide it.
"Ann and the kids and I will get together around Christmas time - who knows when - but some time after the November election we'll sit down and talk about whether I should get in it again," he said.
However Kirk Jowers with the Hinckley Institute of Politics -- the host of Saturday's event -- says the book puts Romney in a good place if he decides to run for the White House in 2012.
"Certainly this book, the enthusiasm he's seen all over the country, are great preparation steps if he decides to run," Jowers said.
Jowers says Romney's book is not biographical. Instead it identifies current problems and his solutions for them.
Salt Lake City was one of 50 stops on Romney's book tour. He goes to Arizona next, then to Texas.
E-mail: sdallof@ksl.com
