The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : Down on Allen

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Philip, I am not sure many folks argued pre-macaca that Sen. Allen was an A-level candidate. For reasons unique to each presidential hopeful, all the Republicans with their "hats in the ring" strike me as B-level candidates. All have serious liabilities. If you believe that, choosing a "favorite" is a half-hearted selection.

Can he win? Probably not. This Senate race is enough of a challenge right now, and the events of the last couple months are too much of a stain to turn into a road show.

Should he win? Probably not. He doesn't have the stuff to get this far without an impeccable reputation, and doesn't show any signs of improvement.

As disturbing as this race stuff is, though, since the allegations have an element of doubt about them, Allen's gutter strategy disturbs me even more. Charging Webb with being a sexist because he opposed women in combat is cheap. And now, as John Miller mentioned at the Corner yesterday, he attacks Webb for defending the Navy during Tailhook:

I'm in no mood to dump on George Allen today, but I just opened my mailbox here in Virginia and pulled out a piece of mail from the NRSC (and authorized by the Allen campaign) called "Remember Tailhook." It features black-and-white images of young women who look like rape victims, and inside is a quasi-feminist attack on Jim Webb for having the guts to stand up for the Navy during one of its darkest political hours. The mailer also includes quotes from Webb's now-famous 1979 article, in which he insists that women aren't cut out for combat leadership. "Don't forget," says the NRSC, "If James Webb had his way, we'd send women back to a time when they weren't respected, weren't equal, and weren't treated fairly."

Lame. And cheap. As is the fact that Allen is engaging in tit for tat in pointing Post reporters to people who will say Webb used the "n-word."

Is this the modern GOP campaign (Rovian?) strategy? Divide the opposition instead of rallying around core principles?

Jerry Kilgore tried it last year with his death penalty ad, and it didn't work. Allen's campaign seems determined not to learn those lessons.