Yes, we are hearing those murmurs of disapproval as Senator Barack Obama begins his inexorable slide towards the center of the political spectrum as he gears up for the general election. Whatever else you may think of him Barack Obama is a Chicago politician, who likes to win. He just outmaneuvered some of the brightest political minds in the country (the Clinton machine), who tacked center before they had the prize in their hands. Now comes Barack, re-evaluating prior statements and causing some level of angst on the left. In short order he has shifted on FISA, NAFTA,public finance of presidential campaigns, a timetable for American withdrawal from Iraq, fudged on his position on the Second Amendment, and criticized the Supreme Court decision barring the death penalty for anything less than murder. He has come under some high level of criticism from the left on his FISA switch, but it truly has not been a major issue politically, drawing scant coverage outside the blogging community. The New York Times even ran a critical editorial, saying in effect that Obama needed to act less politically and more in line with his message of change. The Washington Post’s “The Fix” blog had some interesting posts on the Obama shift on FISA and immunity for the Telcoms. Read that posting here. Read the New York Times editorial here. So what do you think? Is this just more of the same, with Obama using Clintonian triangulation to buffet himself from Republican attack? Or is this good, smart, hard nosed politics that will help Barack Obama win in November and bring the change that he has advertised so boldly?
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Bill Manzi.com 
If Obama is using “triangulation to buffet himself” there is no need for the Republicans to attack him. He may be trying to buffer himself from a Republican attack.
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P.S. It dosen’t matter either way, because Obama is a consummate bluffer.
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Your Honor,
I love the sailing metafore. I prefer the unwrapping onion metafore.
Now let me see, was Obama against the second amendment before he was for it? Was he for immediate extraction before he was for controlled extraction? (Hillary has to be shaking her head.)
I hope these two guys (Obama and McCain) don’t run into each other racing to the center.
Dream Ticket: Obama and McCain or McCain and Obama.
I vote for McCain for one reason-Supreme Court Judges.
So tell me what makes Obama so special?
Jules
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I’m agreeing with Jules here. Obama has been winning because of his message and apparent consistency, and suddenly starts pulling typical political moves. Maybe he thinks because he has the left all wrapped up he can do this, but centrists like myself that he is targeting are less likely to vote for him.
Not that it matters for us, since we live in Massachusetts. I’m pretty sure CNN will have us marked “Blue” by 9:30am election day.
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Your Honor,
That tacking maneuver, in case of the hated Iraq war, has developed quite a tail wind.
And the Messiah is different than other politicians how?
Jules
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