AC

Mitt Romney has distanced himself from the health care reform bill he signed as governor of Massachusetts amid criticism the law bears more than a passing resemblance to Obamacare, which he's repeatedly pledged to repeal if elected in November. But a series of emails obtained by the Wall Street Journal reveals Romney was actively engaged in negotiating the specifics of the 2006 Massachusetts bill and that he and his top aides championed a provision identical to one in President Obama's law requiring individuals to have or buy health insurance. The so-called individual mandate is at the heart of most conservative criticism of Obama's health care law, with many Republicans calling the provision unconstitutional. But in 2006, emails obtained by the Journal under a public records request show, Romney and his top aides pressed for an individual mandate even when Massachusetts Democrats weren't yet embracing such a proposal. According to the emails, Romney personally drafted a...