While it’s very easy to be critical of politicians, sometimes it seems they deserve our sympathies. For some reason, people seem to want them to be consistent, to not change their position on anything, ever.

How silly! I don’t know about you, but I change my mind quite a bit. I used to like punk rock, for instance, but now the hardest I get is New Wave. I used to love candy, now I very occasionally eat a Reese’s cup. My tastes have evolved, I’d like to think.

Recall, for instance, in the ’04 presidential campaign. The Bush forces pilloried Kerry for his “flip flopping.” Of course, Kerry walked into that punch, especially when he said that bit about voting against the $87 billion and then for it . . . or was it the other way around? . . . can’t recall . . . doesn’t matter.

Yesterday I posted a link to a story about the impending Weld:Spitzer campaign for NY governor. And the news story included this exchange:

"As with gay marriage, abortion, and eminent domain, Mr. Weld appears to have experienced yet another change of mind," said Blake Zeff, spokesman for the state Democratic party. "While he may now call for cutbacks in New York, during Mr. Weld's tenure as Massachusetts governor the rate of spending rose 2.5 times the rate of inflation."

"Getting lectured by Mr. Spitzer and his mean team on fiscal discipline is ridiculous," said Tantaros, the Weld spokeswoman. She said Massachusetts increased spending only over Weld's vetoes, and that Weld hasn't altered his positions on the other issues.

Actually, Weld has shifted on at least some of those issues, and not necessarily in ways I personally support, yet I remain a fan. I suppose his spokeswoman was just doing her job, but that denial didn’t win points with me.

Then, this morning, on Meet the Press, Tim Russert bore down on John McCain, attempting to “expose” that McCain is no longer a “maverick,” now a Bush loyalist. McCain handled himself well, acknowledged some shifts, denied others, and explained – without being defensive – the context, then and now. The man is gifted.

While I was being flip at the outset of this blog, the same idea applies to “serious” matters as it does to music and food. People change their minds. Fact sets change, too. I prefer to see some humility in politicians, an acknowledgement that they are human beings, imperfect, without prescience. I like to see that they’ve grown and matured over the years.

What I do care about is where they are “coming from.” What are their core principles? What moves them, emotionally and intellectually?

The specifics are really, to me, less important. Mostly, I want to know if this person is someone whose heart is in the “right” place. Nine times out of 10, that’s what counts.

-Robert Capozzi