"But on issue after issue he approached from the middle."

Spaw-

Of COURSE he has- his entire career he's always been a centrist, or sligtly right of center.

Which is why the morons who rail against him as a "socialist" ans his "socialist agenda" etc. are so amusing - or depressing, depending on your point of view.

I think all too many folks cast him in the role of thre "Great Black Hope" who was going to change the world.

Politics, after all, is the 'science of the possible' (mangled quite).

But I DO think he's being a bit more of a wimp than he needs to be.