The Price of Moderation

When Mark Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus formed the Second Triumvirate of the Roman Republic, they compiled a list of enemies to be proscribed. In a show of good faith to the other two, each of the triumvirs tossed in the name of someone close to them to the list, and so Lepidus' own brother, Antony's cousin and Octavian's ally Cicero were assassinated and their properties confiscated.

Giving up something dear to yourself in order to score political points with those on the other side has not gone out of fashion. Barack Obama recently signaled that he's willing to support "some" offshore oil drilling. While most pundits agree that's the prudent thing to do politically, one wonders whether it's necessary given the recent decline in the price of oil.

Will John McCain planning a Sister Souljah moment of his own? Despite recent speculations that he's considering a pro-choice running mate, I find that unlikely given the tenor of his campaign, which focuses on pandering to the GOP base. Abortion is the only issue on which McCain passes the conservative litmus test without qualification. It's not going to be an economic issue like taxes or Medicare, since McCain himself said he's not interested in those issues, and besides he's already stated his positions on them (basically Bush's). Ditto for immigration. Policy wise there's really not that much room left for McCain to maneuver to leave his maverick reputation intact. I predict that he's going to run a Rove-like get out the base campaign.