WASHINGTON -- For Amy Rick, the 2008 presidential election is a win-win
situation. Both Barack Obama and John McCain support an expansion of
stem-cell research that she has battled for in vain under President
Bush."Both are very solid," said Rick, president of the Coalition for the
Advancement of Medical Research. "We are definitely looking forward
with optimism to a change in policy in 2009."John Isaacs, an arms control advocate, feels the same way, because both
candidates have made nuclear nonproliferation a priority. "We'll have
major progress on nuclear issues no matter who is elected," said
Isaacs, executive director of the Council for a Livable World.Stem-cell research and nuclear weapons are just two examples of a
surprising but little-noticed aspect of the 2008 campaign: Democrat
Obama and Republican McCain agree on a range of issues that have
divided the parties under Bush.On immigration, faith-based social services, expanded government
wiretapping, global warming and more, Obama and McCain have arrived at
similar stances -- even as they have spent weeks trying to amplify the
differences between them on other issues, such as healthcare and taxes.Even on Iraq, a signature issue for both candidates, McCain and Obama have edged toward each other.The result is that in many areas of policy, the general direction of
the next White House seems already set, even if the details are not.The centrist consensus on many issues underscores an important dynamic
in the 2008 political climate: At a time of growing frustration with
gridlock and partisan bickering in Washington, politicians with a
pragmatic, middle-course tack are thriving. In both parties, the more
strident, ideological presidential candidates lost in the primaries.This development also shows how this presidential election differs from
the last. Whereas both political parties in 2004 focused on mobilizing
their most ardent supporters, this campaign's battle is focusing on the
political middle. SOURCE:LAT.COM