This is news? How long an article (or how many) was written about the supreme racist Ray Nagin? New Orleans is going to be a chocolate town? What are we going to do about all these mexicans? He, like so many other sickos, (Marion Barry, Coleman Young, etc.) got reelected. The list of real racist remarks by leftists and democrats goes on and on, yet Salon decides to write about this?

Puhhhleeeeez!

And besides, anyone with half a brain understands that Allen was calling him a "ca ca head", i.e. poop-head. Has it really been that long since ca ca didn't mean poop, or is that slang purely regional? I grew up in Detroit, and everyone there knew that's what it meant when I was a kid.

It was a sophomoric reference at worst. This is hardly worth reporting on.

Poco

P.S. I am not a republican. All politicians are terminally ill with a disease called politics.

This guy will be an excellent replacement for Bush in what has been turned into the the Oafel Office. He seems a bit smarter (not saying much for him), but will follow directives just as well from those running the Country. Allen often appears to be laboring under the early morning mental fog preceding the first cup of coffee irrespective of the time of day when he is speaking.

Years ago while Allen was campaigning for governor, the late Paxton Davis, a left-leaning columnist for Landmark Newspapers serving much of Virginia, referred to him as "a grinning vacuity." From all indications, Allen will have more gaffes for our entertainment in the days ahead.

instead of waiting for republican candidates to self-destruct, why don't the democrats choose viable candidates of their own, and stick to the issues that matter, not some obscure french monkey insult? and,hey-- i'm a democrat!

fyi, the confederacy was as ethnically diverse as the union. only the confederacy had a native american regiment, a jewish cabinet member, etc. slavery wasn't fully outlawed in new york until 1841; by that time most big new york slaveowners had sold their human chattels "down south." let's be real. the confederacy was only four years of american history-- slavery in america endured a lot longer than that.

I can't imagine that this is the first time that a candidate said something racists, or demeaning in a stump speech somewhere. And it's probably not the first time this got caught on tape. So while this might have been news 6 years ago, not many people would have been able to see the video unless it ran on TV. The ability of the video to be seen is the most intriguing development, to me. That means, the campaign is no longer in complete control. A video gets to youtube, gets passed around, and becomes national news. The speed an access we now have to these moments is what's different. Meaning even if you've polished your racist, he might have a spot here and there just waiting to be youtubed.

When you face the American people, sooner or later, they are going to figure out who you really are.

Whishful thinking at its best!

I live in Real America, specifically the part of it called Silicon Valley. It's where much of the real innovation is being done, often by Americans who have recently immigrated from other parts of the world. I know I sound a little odd for suggesting that this is more vital to our national future than NASCAR racing and Civil War re-enactments. What can I tell you, I'm a little odd--and not running for office, so I can say this kind of thing.

I haven't been to Northern Virginia in a few years, but it's my understanding that the people there pride themselves on being the regional Silicon Valley. Whatever Allen's audience might think, there's little doubt that they contribute real US dollars to their state's economy. And unless I'm very confused about industry demographics, I suspect it's not uncommon to find much of this innovation being done by Indian Americans among other groups.

I'm astonished--no, that's an understatement--that you can gather together a large crowd of adults in Northern Virginia, and they don't quite know what to make of a young man like Sidarth. I've been living in America all my life. Where have Allen's supporters been living?

So, Sen. Allen, maybe you ought to take a look at Real America. I think it doesn't look the way you think it does.

Allen simply has an O'Reilly complex: That of a tall, big bully who cannot stand to be called on his bullying nor accept criticism.

and I can say a three things about his performances. 1) He's brilliant at "warming up the crowd"--always knows who's in the room, who needs to be thanked or acknowledged or schmoozed and does it incredibly well. 2) He's has excellent speechwriters. The stuff he *now* says about race in the context of the racial history of Virginia is up-to-the-minute in terms of nuance. 3) You can tell immediately when he goes off script, cuz all that nuance just goes out of the window and you're left with this scary guy who smiles and smiles and says things that make you want to run, not walk, out the room.

Just one example: I watched him follow up brilliant, beautiful remarks on race and racism in Virginia--I mean they were a masterwork of nuance and sensitivity--with an amazing off-script diatribe in Allen-speak about "the Arabs" who "want to cut all our heads off." What was scarier than that was the fact that people in the audience were nodding.

My take on the "macaca" incident is that it was a train wreck of 1 and 3. He's warming up the crowd, goes off script and there's the smiling scary guy. Now on YouTube for all the world to see.

Now what's scarier than George Allen? Two things: some of the posts in response to this article (this is Salon!?); and the fact that he'll probably win anyway.

Heavy sigh.