I think it's how you act on your moderate views that makes all the difference. I'm from Washington, but I've been living in Montana for the last five years. In both states fairly moderate Democrats voted for the war (Cantwell and Baucus respectively).

The reason that Cantwell and Baucus (and Nelson and Clinton and Biden etc) aren't vilified by the anti-war left is because they don't do things like equate opposition to Bush with treason:

Lieberman: "It is time for Democrats who distrust President Bush to acknowledge that he will be Commander-in-Chief for three more critical years, and that in matters of war, we undermine Presidential credibility at our nation’s peril."

They're disliked for sure, but there has been no organized campaign to remove them like there was with Lieberman. I fully acknowledge that Joe Lieberman's voting record is better than Max Baucus', but when push comes to shove, and when it really matters, I don't hear infuriating garbage coming from Baucus in the same way I hear it coming from Lieberman.

I voted for Cantwell in 2000 and I voted for Baucus in 2002, and although I am extremely unhappy with some of their stances, I will gladly cast my vote for them again if and when I have the opportunity.

I would much rather have a Senate full of opposition moderates than a Senate full of liberals who tell me that dissent is treasonous.