The early returns on Obamacare 1.0 aren’t encouraging, as I write today. I don’t get into it much in my column, but this is obviously an enormous problem for Mitt Romney. How do you run as the candidate of the party of repeal, when what you want to repeal is a federal version of your own signature initiative? Masscare may be to Romney in 2012 what abortion was in 2008–an issue where a critical mass of conservatives don’t quite buy his explanations (and I say this as someone who likes and respects Romney and wishes him well). The best thing for Romney to say, I think, is that he flat-out made a mistake, that he tried an idea that ran off the rails. It would also have the advantage of being true. But he can’t bring himself to go there yet.