] One of this year's candidates for president, to hear his
] opposition tell it, has a long history of policy
] reversals and rhetorical about-faces -- a zigzag trail
] that proves his willingness to massage positions and even
] switch sides when politically convenient.
]
] The flip-flopper, Democrats say, is President Bush.
] Over the past four years, he abandoned
] positions on issues such as how to regulate air pollution
] or whether states should be allowed to sanction same-sex
] marriage. He changed his mind about the merits of
] creating the Homeland Security Department, and made a
] major exception to his stance on free trade by agreeing
] to tariffs on steel. After resisting, the president
] yielded to pressure in supporting an independent
] commission to study policy failures preceding the Sept.
] 11, 2001, attacks. Bush did the same with questions about
] whether he would allow his national security adviser to
] testify, or whether he would answer commissioners'
] questions for only an hour, or for as long they needed.