As Obama has moved (or revealed himself to be affixed) to the far Left, he has steadily lost the support of independents. The big spending, big-government power grabs send a thrill up the spines of those on the Left but have independents on edge, and becoming increasingly hostile to the president’s agenda.

The same may hold for national security. Gallup tells us that “the American public is evenly divided on the Justice Department’s appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the Bush administration’s use of harsh interrogation techniques on terrorism suspects. A new Gallup Poll finds that 47% of Americans approve and 49% disapprove.” But when it comes to independents, the numbers look far different: 55 percent disapprove, while 40 percent approve. (Imagine how much more dramatic the results would be if the question had included the fact that the CIA operatives had already been investigated by prosecutors who declined to pursue further action.)

This is a losing gambit for the president. With every move to assuage the Left — be it on the public option, Guantanamo, or interrogation techniques — he is offending and alienating a much larger segment of the electorate. There simply aren’t enough hard-core liberals in America to sustain a radical agenda. Unless Obama stops throwing bones to the Left, he will permanently lose the center of the electorate. That’s no position to be in if you want to govern — and get re-elected.