George Allen Speaks (With Forked Tongue)

Tonight, George Allen addressed Virginians on a two-minute paid television ad at the beginning of prime time.

So, what did he have to say?

He decried the negativity in the campaign, particularly the "baseless allegations." Let's be clear about this one: the allegations have plenty of base. What's baseless are his lame denials.

Perhaps George should've attended Yom Kippur services today, where he could have reflected on his past sins (usually one reflects on the past year, but since George just found out he was Jewish, he'd have to have a catch-up Yom Kippur, including those troublesome college years).

Yom Kippur would have been good for George: he would've atoned for the deer-head in the mailbox, the N-word epithets, macaca, the noose, the confederate flags--all that. He would've recited a prayer in which he forgives everyone who sinned against him over the past year, while also seeking forgiveness from those he sinned against. (On Yom Kippur, Jews are forgiven for sins against God; they don't automatically get atonement for sins against other people.)

What else did George have to say? He spoke about Iraq. "I'm concerned by the war in Iraq. . . . I want them [the troops] to come home in victory."

Oh, that's nice. What a platitudinous remark. We can all say that. Problem is, Allen is a Senator. So what has he actually DONE about it? NOTHING.

If he's so concerned, why not spend two minutes calling George Bush on the phone and saying "hey George, your people have messed this up. Get rid of Rumsfeld and get someone in here who can do the job!!"

I can tell you this much--cheerleading for the troops isn't going to get them to victory.

Think of it this way, George. If the coach sucks, if the offensive play book is flawed and the defense can't stop the run, you don't lead the team to victory by hiring prettier cheerleaders. Instead, you fire the coach, get a new playbook and recruit a couple good defenders. You've had four years to make those recommendations, but you haven't. So you need to go too.