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You are invited to An Evening with Best-Selling Authors Stephen King John Grisham Jim Webb To support Democratic Candidate for U.S. Senate Jim Webb Sunday, September 24, 2006 at 7 pm The Paramount Theatre, The Downtown Mall Charlottesville, Virginia Please respond by the attached card Inquiries to Bert Colley at 434-245-5900 bertcolley@yahoo.com $2100 Includes wine and cheese reception with the authors and priority seating $500 Includes preferred seating $ 100 General admission ticket

Former first lady Nancy Reagan on Friday asked Virginia Democratic Senate candidate James Webb to not use a television commercial that shows former president Ronald Reagan praising Webb, his former Navy secretary. In a letter faxed to Webb at 5 p.m., the chief of staff of the Reagan Library in California urged him to not use footage from a speech by the former president at the Naval Academy in 1985. Webb is trying to unseat Sen. George Allen (R) in November's election. The speech lauded Webb and his achievements. "Using the president's name, image or likeness implies endorsement which is...

There should be a political “glass house alert” because partisan stone-throwing on race has become a shattering game of catch. Democrats are dancing euphorically as they watch Republican Virginia Sen. George Allen’s downward spiral since referring to one of his rival’s campaign supporters as “macaca,” — an apparent European racial slur likening to monkeys those from South Africa. The focus on this has been staggering with Allen’s once robust lead now reduced to five points in front of Democratic challenger and former Reagan Navy Secretary James Webb.

Statement by the Office of Nancy Reagan Regarding the Use of President Reagan's Image in Political Campaigns LOS ANGELES, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- On behalf of Mrs. Reagan, Chief of Staff Joanne Drake has sent the following letter to the Jim Webb for Senate Campaign in the state of Virginia. Dear Mr. Webb, It has come to our attention that your Senatorial campaign in Virginia is using video footage of President Ronald Reagan, his photographs, and/or quotes in campaign materials and political advertisements, some of it very negative. The use of video footage of President Reagan, or the use of...

Nancy Reagan Tells Webb Not To Use Video Of Her Husband In Latest Ad Sep 8, 2006 06:54 PM EDT Nancy Reagan has ordered Democratic Senate candidate Jim Webb, a former Reagan White House military aide, NOT to use video of her husband praising Webb in an upcoming campaign ad. A three-paragraph letter from the former first lady's office says the use of footage of President Reagan is "neither authorized nor appropriate." An ad Webb intends to begin televising Monday features Reagan praising Webb, then an assistant secretary of defense, during the 1985 U.S. Naval Academy commencement ceremony. On the...

Stung by Webb ties to Gipper, Allen rallies Reagan's lieutenants RICHMOND, Va. Nancy Reagan has ordered Democratic Senate candidate Jim Webb -- a former Reagan White House military aide -- not to use video of her husband praising Webb in an upcoming campaign ad. A three-paragraph letter from the former first lady's office says the use of footage of President Reagan is ... quote ... "neither authorized nor appropriate." An ad Webb intends to begin televising Monday features Reagan praising Webb -- then an assistant secretary of defense -- during the 1985 U-S Naval Academy commencement ceremony.

Richmond -- Democratic Senate candidate Jim Webb will air his first television ad next week — a spot that features praise from none other than Ronald Reagan. Webb, who was Reagan's Navy secretary before Webb switched to the Democratic Party, uses the ultimate GOP icon to send a sentimental message to conservatives and moderates courted by his opponent, Sen. George Allen. An Allen aide called the decision "hypocritical." The 30-second ad opens with video of Reagan praising Webb during a commencement address at the U.S. Naval Academy in 1985, when Reagan was president and Webb, a Navy grad, was an...

Senate candidate misses event to visit son, who is being sent to Iraq; Allen campaigns on a horse. BUENA VISTA--If you were in Buena Vista for yesterday's Labor Day parade, you couldn't miss George Allen and Mark Warner. Allen was the sole person in the parade riding a horse, while Warner must have shaken every single hand along the parade route. While both men are potential candidates for president in 2008, that wasn't the focus yesterday. Allen must first fend off a challenge for his U.S. Senate seat this fall, and Warner was putatively in Buena Vista as a surrogate...

James H. Webb Jr. rarely mentions on the campaign trail his efforts to clear the name of a black Marine convicted of mass murder in Vietnam. But the incident tested his sense of leadership, justice and social fairness, and is deeply ingrained in the psyche of the Democratic nominee for one of Virginia's U.S. Senate seats. "I didn't [represent Samuel Green] so today I could tell you that," says Mr. Webb, 60. "I just did it because I believed it was right." In 1971, a year after returning from the Vietnam War as a wounded hero, Mr. Webb was languishing...

James H. Webb Jr. rarely mentions on the campaign trail his efforts to clear the name of a black Marine convicted of mass murder in Vietnam. But the incident tested his sense of leadership, justice and social fairness, and is deeply ingrained in the psyche of the Democratic nominee for one of Virginia's U.S. Senate seats. "I didn't [represent Samuel Green] so today I could tell you that," says Mr. Webb, 60. "I just did it because I believed it was right." In 1971, a year after returning from the Vietnam War as a wounded hero, Mr. Webb was languishing...

NORFOLK, Va. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is endorsing U-S Senator George Allen's re-election bid. Giuliani joined Allen today for a briefing on port security in Norfolk and a private fundraising luncheon in Virginia Beach. It is the second time in two weeks that Allen has appeared with a possible rival for the 2008 G-O-P presidential nomination. Giuliani is best known nationally for his leadership following the terrorist attacks on New York City five years ago. He has been traveling around the nation speaking on behalf of Republican candidates. Allen brought the popular former mayor with him to Hampton...

One Republican senator described his house painter as a "little Guatemalan man." Another called an Indian man a "macaca," a type of monkey. Just as the GOP is pushing for minority voters, the two recent gaffes have fed the perception among some blacks, Hispanics and Asian-Americans that Republicans are out of touch with the changing face of the nation. "There is disconnect at some level," said Michael K. Fauntroy, a professor of public policy at George Mason University. "The country is becoming browner and new voters, particularly new immigrant voters, don't respond favorably to (offensive) comments. "They may have already...

Our partners at the Daily Press are reporting that Democratic Senate candidate Jim Webb, down by more than 10 percentage points in late July, has pulled slightly ahead of Sen. George Allen, according to the latest Wall Street Journal/Zogby Poll.

One Republican senator described his house painter as a "little Guatemalan man." Another called an Indian man a "macaca," a type of monkey. Just as the GOP is pushing for minority voters, the two recent gaffes have fed the perception among some blacks, Hispanics and Asian-Americans that Republicans are out of touch with the changing face of the nation. "There is disconnect at some level," said Michael K. Fauntroy, a professor of public policy at George Mason University. "The country is becoming browner and new voters, particularly new immigrant voters, don't respond favorably to (offensive) comments. "They may have already...

WASHINGTON -- The Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Virginia has pulled ahead of his incumbent opponent. According to an independent Wall Street Journal/Zogby poll, Jim Webb is leading over Republican Senator George Allen. The poll puts Webb at 47.9 percent and Allen at 46.6 percent. The new poll shows a 12 point swing since mid-July, when Zogby had Senator Allen leading over Webb by 11 points. The Wall Street Journal reports that John Zogby attributes the swing to comments that Allen made on August 11. During a campaign rally, Allen called a rival campaign worker of Indian descent "macaca,"...

Wouldn't it be nice to have the highway all to yourself? All alone during rush hour, whizzing down Interstate 395 with not a single car or bus to get in your way? Alas, even the leader of the free world doesn't get that kind of treatment. Not that he didn't ask. On Tuesday, the Secret Service asked Virginia officials if they would be kind enough to shut down all of the HOV lanes on I-395 from 1 to 7 p.m. the next day so President Bush could get where he needed to be, according to state officials who spoke on...

The president spoke with UN SG Kofi Annan about the international force being assembled for Lebanon; the Iranian regime's statement on its nuclear program; and the need to improve the situation in Darfur. He attended a fundraiser for Senator George Allen, R-VA. President Bush met with Rockey Vaccarella, Louisiana victim of Hurricane Katrina, to discuss rebuilding efforts there.

SPRINGFIELD -- Shaken by charges of racial insensitivity, U.S. Sen. George Allen offered his most expansive public apology Tuesday for comments made to an Indian-American man. "I deeply regret those comments," Allen, R-Va., said Tuesday just before leaving the podium at a Northern Virginia retirement community. "I have no one to blame but myself. A person was insulted and others were. I'm fully responsible for it. ... I want to live up to all your expectations. I'm very sorry and I apologize."

Republican Sen. George Allen, running for re-election in Virginia, can't wriggle out of this one with a Mel Gibson excuse. The conservative lawmaker was cold sober when he deliberately insulted a young man of Indian descent with a racial slur. The man, S.R. Sidarth, was filming video of Allen's appearance at a public Republican rally in Breaks, Va., near the Kentucky border, as part of his work as a campaign volunteer for Allen's Democratic challenger, James Webb. Candidates of both parties commonly film their opponents' public appearances looking for gaffes and other campaign material.Sidarth, 20, was apparently the only person...

Sen. George Allen of Virginia was born in Southern California, is the son of a former football legend, and is a political conservative. He's strong on national defense, favors tax cuts, and, as a former governor, has a record of being tough on crime. He is also a budding GOP presidential candidate who has been considered a top contender for the top job. But while campaigning for re-election to the Senate recently, Mr. Allen stumbled to reveal a weakness that could keep him from a spot on the national ticket. At a stop near the Kentucky border, Mr. Allen poked...

Dear Friend, Send George Allen a message. Contribute today! We know that all Senator George F. Allen wanted to do this week was run away and hide after calling our campaign's volunteer, Sidarth, "macaca." That's what happens, Senator Allen, when you hurl the epithet "macaca" at another person. That's what happens when you derisively "Welcome to America" a 20-year old Indian-American who was born and raised in Virginia -- especially when you were born and raised in California. And that's what happens when you don't have the guts to apologize to a young person of color you demeaned amongst an...

GOP Allen's Once Large Lead Evaporates: In an election for the United States Senate in Virginia today, 8/21/06, incumbent Republican George Allen edges Democrat challenger James Webb 48% to 45%, according to an exclusive SurveyUSA poll conducted for W*USA-TV in Washington, DC. Since an identical SurveyUSA poll released 6/28/06, Allen has lost 8 points and Webb has gained 8 points. Allen's lead has shrunk from 19 points to 3 points. Interviewing for this poll began 8/18/06, one week after Allen singled out a Webb campaign worker at an Allen rally. Allen has lost support across all demographic groups, but in...

In an election for the United States Senate in Virginia today, 8/21/06, incumbent Republican George Allen edges Democrat challenger James Webb 48% to 45%, according to an exclusive SurveyUSA poll conducted for W*USA-TV in Washington, DC. Since an identical SurveyUSA poll released 6/28/06, Allen has lost 8 points and Webb has gained 8 points. Allen's lead has shrunk from 19 points to 3 points. Interviewing for this poll began 8/18/06, one week after Allen singled out a Webb campaign worker at an Allen rally. Allen has lost support across all demographic groups, but in particular, among younger voters. He has...

Sen. George Allen's macaca moment has granted the nation a few days' reprieve from thoughts of mass murder and provided a new vocab word for the zeitgeist. For those who've somehow slept through the Sturm und drang surrounding Allen's recent use of the word "macaca," the story is this: He was stumping in Virginia with about 100 fans when he decided to recognize a young volunteer for his Democratic opponent, James Webb. The fellow had been following Allen's tour, filming him, as is customary for both campaigns. "This fellow here, over here with the yellow shirt, Macaca, or whatever his...

Senator George Allen's alleged slur of an opposition campaign worker of Indian descent, recorded on video, has provoked a furious controversy in the state. In the wake of the controversy, support for Allen has dipped below the 50% mark for the first time this year. The latest Rasmussen Reports election poll in Virginia shows that Allen has lost a few percentage points of support and Democrat James Webb has gained a few. The incumbent now leads 47% to 42%, a six-point decline in his lead over Webb since July. In April, Senator Allen had enjoyed a 20% lead, which shrunk...

Political friendships, and political animus, apparently are not made to last. Six years ago, former Reagan Navy secretary James Webb was a Republican, and he opined that President Bill Clinton's administration was "the most corrupt administration in modern memory." He made the comments at a news conference endorsing Republican George F. Allen for the Senate, and renouncing his past support of Virginia Democratic Sen. Charles S. Robb. Today, Webb is a Democrat, running against the incumbent Allen. And Webb's campaign said last night that Clinton has agreed to headline a fundraiser for Webb this fall at -- just to complete...

Some interesting numbers in SurveyUSA's latest monthly job approval ratings of all 100 U.S. senators. Up at the top, as usual, are North Dakota's two Democrats, Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan, and Maine's two Republicans, Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe. All four are from the party that lost their states in the 2000 and 2004 presidential election. But they are small states, with geographically dispersed populations, in which it's possible for a senator to stay in personal touch with a large proportion of his or her constituents. Conrad, Dorgan, Snowe, and Collins evidently have done a good job of this....

Sen. George Allen's mental journey to the imaginary land of Macaca has brought the one-term Virginia Republican -- considered a presidential hopeful for 2008 -- more national attention than ever before. But not in a good way...... The Macaca incident became a sensation on the video-sharing Web site YouTube.com, where some visitors helpfully posted clips of macaques, which are monkeys. It spawned a host of predictable jokes -- "Funny, you don't look Macacan" -- and inspired a hilarious bit on "The Daily Show" that ended with a potty-humor punch line not entirely suitable for the opinion pages of a distinguished...

by Mark Finkelstein August 16, 2006 - 08:02 We all remember how the MSM climbed all over Hillary Clinton when a few years ago she thought it was funny to claim that Mahatma Gandhi "ran a gas station down in St. Louis." Or more recently when she made her "plantation" remark. And of course we recall the liberal media saying it was a career-ender for Joe Biden to have said "you cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I'm not joking," Or not. But let George Allen make a similarly insensitive...

What does Macaca really mean? Three Virginia Republicans confirmed to the Hotline that several Allen campaign aides and advisers are telling allies that the word was a made-up, off-the-cuff neologism that these aides occasionally used to refer to tracker S.R. Sidarth well before last Saturday's videotaped encounter. According to two Republicans who heard the word used, "macaca" was a mash-up of "Mohawk," referring to Sidarth's distinctive hair, and "caca," Spanish slang for excrement, or "shit." Said one Republican close to the campaign: "In other words, he was a shit-head, an annoyance." Allen, according to Republicans, heard members of his traveling...

A LEADING US Republican Senator has sparked a furore for his use of a pejorative term to refer to an Asian man of Indian descent, a US newspaper has reported. The Washington Post reported that Senator George Allen, who is running for re-election to his Senate seat representing the southern state of Virginia, has apologised for what his opponent's campaign said were demeaning and insensitive comments. In remarks on Friday at campaign rally in Virginia, Senator Allen reportedly referred to the Indian-American man - a volunteer with the Senate campaign of his Democratic opponent - as a "macaca". Macaca is...

RICHMOND, Aug. 14 -- Virginia Sen. George Allen (R) apologized Monday for what his opponent's campaign said were demeaning and insensitive comments the senator made to a 20-year-old volunteer of Indian descent. At a campaign rally in southwest Virginia on Friday, Allen repeatedly called a volunteer for Democrat James Webb "macaca." During the speech in Breaks, near the Kentucky border, Allen began by saying that he was "going to run this campaign on positive, constructive ideas" and then pointed at S.R. Sidarth in the crowd. "This fellow here, over here with the yellow shirt, macaca, or whatever his name is....

Fellow Democrats: We are 84 days away from a Democratic take-over of Congress... But ONLY if we can turnout Democrats this year. Low turnout will help the Republicans maintain control. Here in Virginia, we have the best opportunity we've had in DECADES to defeat Republicans in both the Senate AND in Congress. Many of our Republican incumbents can't even reach 50% support in recent polls. The Republican Party is in trouble, but that does not mean we can stand on the sidelines for the next three months. It's time for Democrats to unite and make sure that we get our...

RICHMOND, Virginia (AP) -- A volunteer of Indian descent working for Democrat Jim Webb's U.S. Senate campaign said Monday he felt insulted when Sen. George Allen called him a name that sounded like "Macaca" during a rally in western Virginia. S.R. Sidarth, 20, spent last week following Allen's "listening tour" and filming the appearances for the Webb campaign, which distributed a video clip of Friday's appearance to reporters. "This fellow over here with the yellow shirt -- Macaca or whatever his name is -- he's with my opponent," Allen said. "He's following us around everywhere." Macaca is a term associated...

RICHMOND, Va. -- A volunteer of Indian descent working for Democrat Jim Webb's U.S. Senate campaign said Monday he felt insulted when Sen. George Allen called him a name that sounded like "Macaca" during a rally in western Virginia. S.R. Sidarth, 20, spent last week following Allen's "listening tour" and filming the appearances for the Webb campaign, which distributed a video clip of Friday's appearance to reporters. "This fellow over here with the yellow shirt--Macaca or whatever his name is--he's with my opponent," Allen said. "He's following us around everywhere." Macaca is a term associated with a species of monkeys....

Democrat James Webb's Senate campaign accused Sen. George Allen (R) of making demeaning comments Friday to a 20-year-old Webb volunteer of Indian descent. S.R. Sidarth, a senior at the University of Virginia, had been trailing Allen with a video camera to document his travels and speeches for the Webb campaign. During a campaign speech Friday in Breaks, Virginia, near the Kentucky border, Allen singled out Sidarth and called him a word that sounded like "Macaca." "This fellow here over here with the yellow shirt, Macaca, or whatever his name is. He's with my opponent. He's following us around everywhere. And...

James Webb’s U.S. Senate campaign has been receiving donations from all over the country, including Beverly Hills, Calif., New York and Atlanta, according to campaign finance records. When funds raised by Webb are separated by zip code, six of the top 14 donating areas are outside of Virginia. The breakdown for Republican incumbent George Allen, on the other hand, shows his largest donating zip codes are all inside the state. Webb has raised $1.3 million, while Allen has raised more than $10 million. Political analysts said it is imperative for Webb to raise more money if he is to be...

To hear national Democratic party leaders tell it, Democrat James Webb has a solid chance of ousting Republican Sen. George Allen this fall. "You might find Cinderella in Virginia," Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., told Congressional Quarterly this spring. "Allen's numbers are not very strong." But in the first major spending decision of the fall campaign, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee - which Schumer heads - took a pass on Virginia. The committee, which helps elect Democratic senators, has reserved a reported $25 million worth of television ads in states where Republican incumbents are considered vulnerable. Virginia is not one of...

RICHMOND -- The campaign staff of Sen. George Allen (R) describes his Democratic opponent, James Webb, as a Hollywood elitist running a "joke" of a campaign. They call him "Junior." Webb's team implies that Allen is a rich jock with a fondness for dude ranches and a weird middle name. They call him "Felix." The election is more than three months away, but the two campaigns are locked in an increasingly nasty effort to characterize the other before voters form their own impressions

The Democrat trying to unseat Sen. George Allen says the Bush administration is repeating its failures in Iraq by disregarding the role diplomacy could play in defusing the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.James H. Webb Jr., former Navy secretary under President Reagan, said talking with Syria could be key to brokering a deal that ends the conflict that began last month. "Sooner or later this has to be dealt with in a different way, and I think this administration has really failed in terms of reaching out diplomatically, particularly with Syria," Mr. Webb told The Washington Times. "There is a way...

Democratic U.S. Sen. candidate Jim Webb said today that money is perverting the American political process. Sitting with five Richmond area Democrats at a West End home, Webb said the need for campaign money has been the biggest surprise of his campaign for the U.S. Senate.

A constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriages in Virginia has strong support among state voters, according to a new poll. Fifty-six percent said that they will vote for the amendment this fall, 38 percent said they will oppose it, according to a survey completed last week by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. of Washington, D.C. The company interviewed 625 registered voters who said they intend to participate in the Nov. 7 election, when the marriage amendment will appear on state ballots. The Virginia vote appears largely to be divided along partisan lines. Eighty-two percent of Republicans said they support...

RICHMOND -- U.S. Sen. George Allen holds a comfortable lead in his race for re-election and boasts a solid job approval rating, according to a poll commissioned by The Roanoke Times and other Virginia newspapers. The Republican senator leads Democratic challenger James Webb by 16 percentage points in a statewide survey conducted last week by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research. But one-fifth of the voters remain undecided, and Allen still lacks majority support in his bid for a second term, according to the poll. Allen has the support of 48 percent of the voters surveyed and leads Webb by wide margins...

[snip] On Monday both campaigns claimed victory for the debate on their respective Web sites. But the Allen campaign points to one specific exchange that it refers to as a “Lesson in Geography?” as opposed to a debate. According to the AP’s report, Webb paused uncomfortably when Allen asked him to elaborate on ideas for the proper use of Craney Island, a 2,500-acre manmade peninsula. Webb admitted not knowing where Craney Island is. True to form, Allen pounced. “Craney Island’s in Virginia,” he said. He went on to tell Webb that Congress is looking into expanding the site to accommodate...

Virginia Senate Allen vs. Webb: Advantage Allen July 27, 2006 Republican Senator George Allen Incumbent Republican Senator George Allen continues to draw support from a majority of Virginia voters in his bid for re-election to the U.S. Senate. The latest Rasmussen Reports survey of 500 likely voters shows Allen leading Democrat James Webb 50% to 39%. While essentially unchanged from a month ago, these numbers represent minor downturns for both candidates since our previous survey where Allen led Webb 51% to 41%. Allen added two points to his favorable rating since June with 64% of those polled holding a positive...

Herb Kohl (D-WI) is going broke. He has spent nearly $2.9 million already. His campaign is in debt $4.7 million, although that debt presumably is money he has lent his campaign from his personal fortune. He has raised $4.8 million, although I don’t know how much of that is his personal fortune, or whether his debts are from previous campaigns. He has less than $2 million in the bank. He doesn’t have an official opponent, yet. I know Wisconsin Freepers have told me to write this race off, but if Kohl’s fundraising is that poor, I suspect there will be...

Dear Friend, Provide Jim the resources to reach voters across Virginia. Donate before the Monday deadline! I wanted to write today to tell you about Saturday's debate -- our first of many with George Felix Allen. From the outset it was clear that while Allen was nervous and seemingly unwilling to answer questions directly, Jim was senatorial and showed a strong command of the issues. Even reporters were commenting to me afterward about how solid Jim's performance was and how nervous and unresponsive George Allen seemed to be. The dominant conclusion was that George Allen sure has his hands full,...

If you want to understand why Democrats are the minority party in Congress, look at four states: Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Kentucky. Before the 1994 elections, when Democrats still controlled both chambers, these Southern states had 24 Democratic House members and 14 Republicans. Among senators, there were five Republicans and three Democrats. Today, there are 24 GOP House members and 15 Democrats, and all eight senators are Republicans. Democrats acknowledge that their prospects for regaining control are dim until they start winning elections in this region. Several of this year's races are lab experiments in this effort, with Democrats...

Why have the Democrats proven so inept at electorally exploiting the growing evidence of the current Republican Party’s incompetence at governing? The Democrats certainly have a chance of doing well in the November elections, but why is this merely a possibility? In 1980, just half a dozen years after the GOP’s Watergate humiliation, voters responded to the Carter administration’s failures by electing a Republican president and Senate and scaring enough House Democrats that Ronald Reagan was able to pass much of his agenda. After five-and-a-half years of George W. Bush’s presidency, it’s reasonably clear that he wasn’t qualified for the...