Here’s a nice point from yesterday’s edition of The Hotline, the subscription-only insider political newsletter, about Bill Frist and Hillary Clinton making gestures toward the center in the period before the 2008 primaries (though I think that Hillary hasn’t actually moved very far). They’re right that Frist is taking a much greater risk — he can’t use the electability argument like Hillary can:

Conventional wisdom has long held that in order to become president, a
candidate must run to left/right to capture the nomination then sprint to
the middle to win the general election. So why do Bill Frist and
Hillary Clinton appear to be doing the opposite?

It is a telling point about the politicos and their parties that
Clinton’s “drive” to the middle is generally hailed as a “smart” political
strategy while Frist’s stem cell reversal is seen as “principled,” a code
word for bad politics. While both are taking heat from party activists, it’s
the Senate Maj. Leader who appears more at risk.

Having spent most of this year joining hands on conservative causes
(Schiavo, judges, gun maker liability, etc), Frist has separated on an issue
near and dear to the GOP activists. Should stem cell research pass and
survive a Bush veto, Frist’s support will be a big reason why. And it will
leave him open to attacks from those he has done so much to woo. The size of
their bets might be different but the stakes are high and both Frist and
Clinton are betting that, at least on some issues, a move to the middle is a
winner.