FEEL THE (ERSATZ?) MITT-MENTUM!

Mitt Romney's No Apology just hit #1 on the New York Times bestseller list.

The book's listing is accompanied by a dagger -- and a foornote on the list explains what that means:

A dagger (†) indicates that some bookstores report receiving bulk orders.

Considering that the book is only #31 at Amazon and #54 at Barnes & Noble, I'd say the #1 listing was definitely bulk-bought. (Then again, the expenditure of cash was how Romney used to win the CPAC straw poll, right?)

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(Romney's #1 on the list that will appear in the March 21 Times. It'll be on the Times Web site this coming weekend.)

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UPDATE: More from Politico's Ben Smith:

Romney's book tour has, so far, attracted pretty large crowds, serving -- along with the book sales -- to reassure his supporters that, though he may not draw Sarah Palin style hordes, he's a figure of genuine popular interest. He reportedly attracted more than 1,000 people to a book signing in Naples, Fla. last night.

Well, these might be spontaneous outpourings of enthusiasm, but if I were a reporter, I'd be checking for signs that Romney people were herding these crowds on and off buses and doling out checks.

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UPDATE, SATURDAY: Hi, Memeorandum, The Hill, Taegan Goddard, Conservatives4Palin, and The Political Carnival -- glad you finally got around to noticing the dagger I mentioned three days ago.

(Well, I did see an advance release of the list via e-mail, and now the list is posted.)

I assume the fact that this is getting attention means someone is working the story. Palin's people, perhaps? Are they smarter and more, um, urbane than we think? (Squinting to read the fine print on the New York Times bestseller list -- it doesn't get more arugula than that.)