Caucus night was bittersweet for me in this year. As returns flowed in, two themes became apparent. The candidate I favor, Barack Obama, was coming out on top, and Iowans were showing up to participate in relatively large numbers.

The bitter part was entirely personal. In order to take part, I had to change my voter registration from “Independent” to “Democrat,” a semantic difference given my general leanings, but it felt like a loss of innocence nonetheless.

Honestly, what idealistic, young, liberal-leaning moderate wants to be connected with such a gutless and impotent outfit as the Democratic Party?

Well, I hate to tell myself “I told you so,” but they’re at it again. The current vogue among Democrats is to “save” the party by asking Hillary Clinton to simply drop out. They say it’s good for the party – it’s certainly good for my candidate – but I think this might be another case of the weak-kneed party establishment slinking away from a fight.

Any weary voter should be excited to see his or her candidate put to the test. Even Obama has said Hillary should stay in and fight it out like it was Amok Time on Vulcan. (My words, not his.)

The fact is, if primary season is cut short, Democrats lose a golden opportunity to solidify the support of moderates. We don’t have much interest in the candidates fractionally separated views on the issues, but we relish the chance to see how these two work under stress.

Issues are wishy-washy things. They change from day to day and circumstance to circumstance. Leaders have to think on their feet, use diplomacy and often make no-win choices. What could be a better proxy for a perilous international and domestic situation than a drawn-out nomination process?

Look at what we’ve already witnessed in just the last few weeks. The candidates’ pasts have caught up with them; e.g., Obama’s embarrassingly disenfranchised minister. They have been set constantly off-balance by the emergence of new issues; e.g., the war being eclipsed by the economy, only for revelations about the Iraqi defense force to steal back the headlines. And, of course, they have engaged in personal intrigues; e.g., Obama hounding Clinton to release her tax returns just a day or two earlier.

Add to the mix John McCain and his own relatively centrist appeal to moderates, and you have a pretty solid test of Democratic mettle. Each candidate must try to find a somewhat “unique” stance without alienating half of the party. They can obscure the conversation by slinging mud, but not without hitting part of their base. Whoever successfully navigates that labyrinth may just be qualified to become president.

Sure, a drawn-out process will inevitably lead to some disenfranchisement, but to whom moderates flock to in November is ultimately up to the winner. Remember, we have a somewhat fluid feeling about things like platforms. What we respect, among other things, are toughness and results.

Primaries are all about toughness and results. With little breathing room on the issues, Hillary and Barack have to duck, jump and bowl their way straight through every other kind of pitfall leadership has to offer. They’re not in a one-on-one prize fight; they’re on “Most Extreme Elimination Challenge.”

Every face-plant and blood-curdling “Instant-action Replay” presents a new chance for the candidates to show their stripes as either a statesperson or hatchet-person. The one who manages to dodge the Styrofoam boulders and swing over the mud pit to victory will be one big step closer to proving he or she is the kind of politician moderates like – the kind that accomplishes things.

It’s a flawed, even masochistic, system, I know, but being president isn’t necessarily dignified. In the end, enduring the blood and circuses will earn attention and respect from moderates of all leanings, including those of us who prefer to be registered as independents.

– Kevin Stillman is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Emmetsburg.