I don't understand the point of straddling...

[*TT*]

In NL Hold'em your playing for your opponent's stacks, its not just to win the hand. The true goal of a straddle is to inflate the size of the pot, while placing your opponents out of their comfort zone - all while showing that the hero is willing to gambool (of course this is a false perception because the hero's investment for image and post size inflation is minimal). The key is you must know when to get away from your hand when playing out of position.

Alternatively there is the Mississippi straddle which is on the button. If your card room allows it and your a strong post-flop NL player than this can be so ideal that to pass on your straddle oportunity would be -EV if the conditions are right.