The emergence of a tough-minded Democratic nominee in author and former Navy Secretary Jim Webb, and some self-inflicted damage on AllenGÇÖs part, have combined to keep Allen close to home GÇö and thrust him into a contest that looks increasingly competitive. As a result, CQPolitics.com has changed its rating on the race to Leans Republican from Republican Favored.This was hardly where either Allen or his rivals thought the race would be in late 2005, after the Democrats failed to recruit their dream challenger: Mark Warner, then completing a highly successful tenure as governor, who considered the Senate race but passed in order to test the waters for his own possible 2008 White House bid.
But the Democrats ended up with a battling candidate who came to them from outside the expected channels.
Read the whole article here. Something tells me CQ may be changing this rating again, quite soon, to "no clear favorite."
Lowell Feld is Netroots Coordinator for the Jim Webb for US Senate Campaign. The ideas expressed here belong to Lowell Feld alone, and do not represent those of Jim Webb, his advisors, staff, or supporters.
A few of my favorite quotes:
Webb's son, a Marine lance corporal who shipped out to Iraq this month, is stationed in Ramadi. If elected, Webb will be one of a tiny handful of members of Congress with a child serving in Iraq (or Afghanistan, for that matter). But while he mentions his son from time to time, and wears a pair of his son's combat boots, he seems unable or unwilling to exploit the fact of his service for all it's worth.He is, in short, a consummate non-pol, which makes his race for the Senate among the most interesting, and treacherous, of the year. ***
In the scheme of things, Webb said in a debate at Tysons Corner on Monday, whether or not he is a senator won't rate very high "on my agenda."
***Allen, whose national and statewide reputation has tanked since he mocked an Indian American campaign aide of Webb's by repeatedly calling him "macaca" in a nearly all-white part of southwest Virginia, is unleashing what is certain to be a nonstop negative assault on Webb.
[Allen] is in trouble not only because of the macaca remark but also because of revelations in the New Republic this year about his schoolboy romance with the Confederate flag and his own sister's depiction of the young Allen as nasty and thuggish. (It is a strange aspect of this race that Webb seems on better terms with his ex-wife than Allen does with his own sister.)
The macaca flap has hurt him [Allen] badly there [northern Virginia], and his good-ol'-boy shtick can't help much either. At a Labor Day parade, Allen, who favors cowboy boots for daily wear, rode a horse called Bubba. And his campaign is gearing up for its 11th annual "Hoe Down" fundraiser, where contributors of $1,000 will have the title of "Buckaroo" bestowed upon them, while deeper-pocketed donors will be dubbed "Ranch Boss" and "El Ranchero Grande."
But if Webb's unvarnished performance convinces many voters that he is somehow the more genuine and likable of the candidates, the non-pol may just pull this race out.
Of course, once he loses to Webb, his presidential aspirations are over.
This would be a fine time for him to announce that he's dropping out of the senate race so he can dedicate all his time and money to get into the White House.
House panel opposes Bush detainee bill
Reuters
Wednesday, September 20, 2006; 3:17 PMWASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a rebuke of President George W. Bush, a U.S. House of Representatives panel on Wednesday rejected his plan for interrogating foreign terrorist suspects. The bill, however, will still go to the full House for consideration.
The House Judiciary Committee, in a surprise move, rejected the measure 20-17. The Republican-led panel had been widely expected to back the bill pushed by Bush while he battles with some key Republicans in the Senate for similar authority.
George Allen is not comfortable running against Jim Webb. When you see them together, you can tell that he is thinking about combat boots v. cowboy boots.