He hasn't moved to the center, he has moved the center to him. 8 years of George W. Bush's Administration has progressively deepened a national crisis on every front. With challenges as severe as those which we now face, the greatest degree of unity that America can muster without sacrificing a vision for a better more just and peaceful future, is what we now need to forge. Obama has been masterful so far in walking that line essentially perfectly. He fears no one's opinions, he is intimidated by no one's talents.
Not all times place a premium on the need to project national unity, these times do. Yes we need change, real change, desperately; but we need the American people behind that change. 53% of the vote is a near landslide in American politics, but 53% of voters by itself does not represent the type of unity Americans now need in these times. The most important first step is confidence, and with the administration that Obama is forming he is spreading confidence that the best and brightest among us have a seat at his table helping plot America's course through troubled waters. Make no mistake, his is a Democratic Administration, filled for the most part with a broad range of leading Democrats. But by avoiding an overt ideological cast, he allows Americans of other political persuasions to relate to the wisdom of the sheer talent he is assembling.
Eight years, two terms, is a long time. Now Obama has moved the center toward him, later he will move it left. How far left I am uncertain of, but the direction seems sure.