There was a show on TV for many years called "To Tell the Truth." Contestants with fascinating personal stories appeared with two impostors. A panel of celebrities questioned the three people to guess who was the real contestant. The show always concluded with host prompting "Will the real (NAME HERE) please stand up."

And so it is, these days, with Sen. Obama. I am a staunch supporter of his, but I admit to the same unease that other TPM posters have expressed about Obama's moves to a centrist position.

For what it's worth, here's my take:

I like the Barack Obama who was daring and willing to lead by refreshing candor and foresight. I like the candidate who spoke of lofty goals and shared sacrifices and uncompromising principles.

The centrist Obama doesn't inspire me so much. He's moved out of political expediency to positions that aren't so daring, lofty or uncompromising. And he's bogged down in the minutiae, so his speeches don't soar as often as they used to.

No, telecom immunity doesn't make me happy. It probably doesn't sit well for any of us here, though we might understand the box he's in. But on other issues that don't polarize us as much, Obama has also demonstrated a willingness to soften his position more than I would like to see. It's not that I even necessarily disagree with the refinements of his positions. It's just that I sense him moving too much — fairly or unfairly, he's gaining a reputation as a flip-flopper.

From backing off an "undivided Jerusalem" to his new willingness to approve capital punishment to numerous lesser issues, Obama is abandoning the moral high ground in favor of the broad field of battle.

On the other hand, the press has been remarkably dense in its inability to distinguish between a flip-flop and, for instance, Obama "refining" his plans for Iraq. To refine is to enhance, to smooth out, to perfect. No flip-flop there.

But putting aside the reasons for or against any perceptible shift in policy positions, whether those shifts are real or trumped up by a voracious press, there is something less enthralling about the Obama campaigning today. I don't feel as energized as I once did.

Others feel that way, too. So while moving to the center may be necessary now, there has to be a point where it stops and Obama's positions become immutable. Not to say that he should become doctrinaire or absolutist, but that he should propel his positions, not retreat from them.

I like the Obama that stood for change we can believe in. And I would ask that Obama to please stand up again.