Senator Chris Coons, below, a Democrat from Delaware who had asked to preside at the session, traveled to Washington from his home state by train and was leaving Union Station just as the moderate earthquake struck.
Will Whitman become isolated as the moderate, abortion-rights representative in a mainly conservative administration?
In short, she comes across as the moderate Midwestern Methodist she is.
Just as the moderate suspects imbalance in the country, so she suspects it in herself.
"He's trying to position himself as the moderate, pro-business Democrat in the 2006 primary for governor," Mr. Spillane said.
You are seen as the moderate face of the Hindu right, but where do you see yourself ideologically?
And their opposition hardened when he campaigned in 2000 as the moderate alternative to Mr. Bush — including urging the party to soften its platform's total opposition to abortion.
But the new Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, was welcomed Friday as the moderate voice of Palestinians willing to negotiate for peace.
"The conventional wisdom is that right now, Franks is the easier candidate to portray as the moderate because he's not anti-choice or pro-N.R.A.," Mr. Shure said.
Mr. Romney could run on a message of competence and pragmatism, positioning himself as the moderate in the race, as he did in Massachusetts in 2002.
He enjoys international respect as the moderate, successful leader of a moderate, successful, democratic country of 240m, most of whom happen to be Muslim.
