I have come to believe that flip-flopping is essential for most politicians. Apart from the fact that one must adapt to the ways in which the winds blow, the information they are collecting or being told changes from day to day. It's not so much that a politician has to flip flop, so much as how he or she executes the flip flop. It is as crucial maneuver in politics as the cross check is in hockey. You just need to be able to get away with it and pull it off. Some politicians are better than others, just like some hockey players cross check the shit out of opponents and don't get called on it.