Is flip-flopping all that bad?

The News-Leader's front page headline on the Talent/McCaskill immigration spat caught my eye. Democrats have tried pinning the label on Talent as well when it comes to stem-cell research.

"Flip-flopping" has become the fashionable political stigma to throw at people. History books are likely to include the tag when describing John Kerry and the 2004 presidential campaign. Those who view flip-flopping as an abomination will assert people want decisive leadership, not wavering uncertainty that changes with the wind. Stick to your guns. Don't let your opponents change your game plan. You were right all along and time will prove that.

Fair enough. There are lots of politicos who would do well to make a decision and stick with it. As we've seen in Springfield, some would rather let the people decide via referendum rather than make a tough decision. They were elected to make those decisions and shirk their responsibility by putting something on a ballot.

Still, shouldn't there be room in politics for someone to take a position, learn more information and change their minds? Regular people and even elected officials at lower levels think they know something about an issue, meet someone, educate themselves and go a different direction. Isn't open-mindness and a willing to adapt a virtue for political leaders? If something isn't working, aren't you obligated to change course? As a country, we've flip-flopped on slavery, segregation, prohibition, smoking, and other policies that once seemed logical and well-founded but later turned out to morally, biologically and logistically unsound.

Gov. Matt Blunt was ready to eliminate the First Steps program last year. After public outcry, he changed his mind and found a way to keep it. Is he a flip-flopper? I'm sure Democrats will say that about him. But the governor stuck to his guns on other policies, namely Medicaid cuts, and didn't buckle despite thousands of Missourians' protests.

We've got four months of the U.S. Senate campaign left. It got pretty ugly Thursday. Here's to a more civil, thought-provoking discussion about the issues and policies that will guide our country.