What is a Moderate?

On another blog I was asked this question:

What is a “moderate” and why do you believe you are one?

Now there's a good question. If, in fact, a "Moderate" party were to be formed, what would it look like? First I'll say what makes me a moderate:

I believe that abortion should be legal, but am willing to discuss limits on how late they can be performed and under what circumstances.

I believe that children should be taught to abstain from sex until they are adults, but that education must include contraception and information about STDs.

I believe that it was a mistake to invade Iraq, but now that we are there, we must succeed in our endeavor to stabilize the country, and that a sudden pullout would be disastrous.

I believe that the state should get out of the marriage business, issuing civil union licenses to any two adults who wish to be joined, thereby leaving the sanctity of marriage to the church.

I believe in the soverignty of the states over the Federal government, and recognize that this balance is not as easy as it may seem to strike.

I believe that the display of religious artifacts or symbols on public land is OK, but recognize that it opens the door to the display of ANY symbols on public property.

I believe that throwing around words like "treason" and "hate" when describing our political opponents is a transitory but dangerous element of our public debate.

Finally, I reach out to those on the other side of the aisle to discuss issues and try to make them understand my perspective, while trying to understand theirs, using reason and avoiding hyperbole.

That's certainly not a comprehensive list, but I could be here all day.

I guess for me a moderate would be a person who holds their own beliefs and opinions but is not so blindly attached to them that the real business of government cannot be accomplished. A recognition that any solution is a temporary one, as it will be addressed again and revised later, would be a realistic and moderate approach. Take "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and Bush's stem cell decision in 2001; both were examples of middle ground solutions that are open to revision at a later date. Moderation requires the acknowledgement that progress is just that: a series of steps toward a particular end, and not an all-at-once jump.

Jefferson once said "We cannot expect to be transported from tyranny to liberty in a feather bed." To me, that means that any goal can only be reached by hard work, and that there will be give and take throughout the process. In the end, to me, a moderate is one for whom the creation of policy and advancement of the business of government is more important than blind adherence to ideological and political dogma.