Finding America's real center

In the asylum that is American politics, beware a candidate like Barack Obama when he is lauded for moving to "the center" — because... In the asylum that is American politics, beware a candidate like Barack Obama when he is lauded for moving to "the center" — because usually that means he is drifting away from it. Over the last month, the Democratic presidential nominee has backed a measure to permit warrantless wiretapping and protect telecom companies when they violate customers' privacy; sent conflicting signals about whether he will reform the NAFTA trade model, and threatened to revise his timetable for ending the war in Iraq. Universally, reporters have billed this dance as a move to the middle. As The Associated Press claimed in a typical description, Obama's shifts are designed "to appeal to the center of the... [read full story]