I've often wondered that myself. You would think to be a good moderator you need to have PM capability, among other things. IMO freebies should not be allowed to be moderators. Maybe assistant moderators, but not in charge of the entire board.
"Sort of" is such a harmless thing to say. "Sort of". It's just a filler. "Sort of" - It doesn't really mean anything. But after certain things, "sort of" means everything. Like after "I love you" or "You're going to live" or "It's a boy".