There's been a lot of discussion about Obama changing his views on several issues, FISA, guns, abortion, off shore drilling, as soon as the primary was over. There was some upset, some anger, but the main reaction has been resignation, acceptance, an understanding that he must move to the center to win this election. I saw many posts expressing the sentiment that we all know what Obama really believes on those issue but he had to move to the center to win in the GE. Well we may be right, we may have correctly analysed what Obama really believes in spite of these moves to the center or we may be wrong. But we do pride ourselves on having a sophisticated enough view of the political process to not be shocked by the changes and to understand the necessity for them.

You might want to consider the possibility that the average voter is not a moron, that they've been watching this process for years too and have just as sophisticated and nuanced a view as we do. Conservative democrats, independents, and moderate republicans know that McCain has fought with his party over the years on immigration reform, the Bush tax cuts, torture, earmarks, even the power of the evangelicals.

Perhaps this is why McCain is staying even with Obama in spite of the overwhelming dislike of bush. Perhaps the average voters are saying the same thing many have said about Obama. We know what McCain really believes on those issues but he had to move to the right to win  in the primaries.

The average voters may have correctly analysed McCain's real views on those issues or they may be wrong. But that may be the reason the democrats have been unsuccessful in defining McCain as Bush's third term.