Moderation and terms thereof

"Those of us in the moderate tradition — the Hamiltonian tradition that believes in limited but energetic government — thus find ourselves facing a void. We moderates are going to have to assert ourselves. We’re going to have to take a centrist tendency that has been politically feckless and intellectually vapid and turn it into an influential force." - David Brooks, NYT March 3, 2009

I do believe there is a difference between being centrist to avoid confrontation and standing in the center in order to see well in all directions. Is it possible to be intense and still centrist? It seems to me it is, but it requires constant researching, seeking, questing. And that active work probably involves a certain amount of arguing or confronting less moderate positions to understand where the value lies. There often blows a strong wind in between the spaces that are more one-directional. Intensity is then required to remain standing in the middle.