Reply #42: The notion of the "third thing", a.k.a. triangulation, is one of BO's selling points. [View All]

[patrice]

And I agree with the principle that the opposition is NEVER going to just die and go away, so in order to proceed you have to learn how to deal with them, hence the so-called "Independents" and cross-over votes in BO's camp. But the problem with "the third thing" is that it obfuscates differences that ARE in Fact substantial and real between different things. This is what put us in Iraq.

So the problem is how to recognize and work with the commonalities and do BOTH things for both sides of and issue when its possible - and - when to do ONE RIGHT thing when it is necessary. It is my personal opinion that we are at a time when it is more necessary to tilt toward doing those one right things than it is to do "the third thing"s. Doesn't mean "the third thing" can't/won't happen in an Edwards administration, just that it won't be the primary goal because we need someone to stand up for those who are definitely loosing it in this country right now and in the future.