Meanwhile, after calling the North American Free Trade Agreement a "big mistake" during the primary season and saying it should be renegotiated, Obama has recently toned down his rhetoric and emphasized his record of support for free trade. He also angered many union and liberal activists by naming a chief economic advisor who has extolled the virtues of globalization.
Facing criticism that he may be too willing to negotiate with Iran, Obama in a recent speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee took a tough line on protecting Israel against Iran.
This month, he announced that he would opt out of the public financing system for presidential elections, continuing to raise money from private donors, rather than adhere to the spending limits that come with it. Earlier, he had pledged to take public funds if his GOP opponent did.
And Obama endorsed a compromise wiretapping bill despite stiff opposition from liberal activists. MoveOn.org, the liberal online activist group, asked its members to flood Obama's campaign office with phone calls and e-mails urging him to support a filibuster of the bill.
The changes carry some risk that Obama will diminish the image he has sought to build as a new type of leader who will change how Washington conducts business. McCain and other Republicans have used his recent policy statements to argue that Obama is a traditional politician, unwilling to take clear stands on tough issues and abandoning his principles when he finds it advantageous.
For example, McCain's campaign said Obama was unable to give a clear account of whether he viewed the Washington gun ban as constitutional, an issue on which Obama and his campaign have given mixed signals. And when Obama announced that his campaign would not take public funding, McCain's spokeswoman accused him of failing to stand by his principles.
But Bill Burton, an Obama spokesman, said the Illinois senator's record has been consistent, not tilting to the center for political purposes. "He's committed to making decisions he thinks are right," said Burton. "He'll continue to do that as president."
Some analysts say the moves amount to smart politics, showing that Obama is not chained to his party's most devoted liberals. "If Obama doesn't do what MoveOn wants, it will show some degree of independence," said Thomas Mann, a political analyst at the Brookings Institution.
