the Dream

I had this dream last night. It's all kind of hazy now, but I'll try to recall it.
I dreamed that a high-profile moderate Republican, maybe John McCain, and high-profile moderate Democrat, say Leiberman or Edwards, got together, and decided that each were sick of extremist elements in their parties. So they create their own party. One of the first things they declared was that the party platform would forbid a unified stance on baby-with-the-bathwater issues such as abortion or gay marriage. These issues would be decided on a person-by-person basis, but there would be no litmus test for this "moderate" party. As money started to come in from web-based campaigning, grass-roots support groups sprung up around the country. Pretty soon other moderate members started join, causing their respective parties to shift even farther out out from the center, which drove even more moderates to the new party. Soon, the New Party was winning elections on local, state and national levels.
The Republican and Democratic parties, both moving further and further to the edges of the political spectrum, began to lose power, causing power struggles and turmoil within them. (This wasnt in my dream, but I suspect the Dems would ultimately shift to a position a bit more moderate, while the Neo-cons left in the Republican party would pursue a self-destructive policy of ideological "purity".)
As a result of the New Party's increased power, Science was again cut loose to pursue knowledge unfiltered by politics and ideology (except on an individual scientist's own basis, of course), and War was again given over to Professionals, with politics only being used in the decision to pursue it. Then, a true miracle (one that, I'll admit, make this obviously a dream): decisions began to be made in a rational and pragmatic manner on everything from education to tax codes to welfare.

Sigh.

It was a lovely dream.

Then I read this editorial in the New York Times. Seeds of the dream, perhaps?