obama, books, and small business

On the same day that President Obama's speech to the nation included plans to help small businesses weather the current economic storm, I read that independent bookstores have sent a letter to the Department of Justice asking for intervention in the price war over bestsellers at amazon.com, Walmart, and Target. From the article--http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/23/books/23price.html?ref=books--we learn that Sarah Palin's Going Rogue has depreciated two cents to $8.98, down from last Friday's $9 at either amazon.com or Walmart. (If you haven't been following that story, $8.98 is the price for this new hardcover whose original retail is close to thirty dollars.) We also learn that France already has a "prohibition against booksellers’ pricing books below cost." My best guess about Obama's speech is that it was focused more on getting small business groups to accept whatever healthcare overhaul we wind up with, but it'll be interesting to see if a possibly "progressive" President is interested in helping the smaller fries of the book world. Stay tuned.