Posted on 09/27/2006 7:42:34 AM PDT by truthandlife
One of Virginia's best-known political analysts said he had never personally heard Sen. George Allen use racial epithets, despite saying on television a day earlier that the senator "did use the n-word."
Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, said Tuesday in an e-mail to The Associated Press, "I didn't personally hear GFA (Allen's initials) say the n-word.
"My conclusion is based on the very credible testimony I have heard for weeks, mainly from people I personally know and knew in the '70s," Sabato wrote.
Sabato, a classmate of Allen's at the University of Virginia in the early 1970s, said Monday on MSNBC's "Hardball with Chris Matthews" that he knew Allen had used racial slurs, but declined to say whether he had witnessed them.
Allen, a Republican who had been mentioned as a presidential contender and is now fighting an unexpectedly difficult race for a second U.S. Senate term, had said through a campaign aide that Sabato's claim was inaccurate.
"We're obviously glad that Mr. Sabato clarified his comments," said Dick Wadhams, Allen's campaign manager. "We remain committed to trying to dispel these erroneous stories that have been out there."
Also Tuesday, Allen's Democratic opponent, Jim Webb, declined to say definitively whether he had ever used a racial slur to describe blacks.
"I don't think that there's anyone who grew up around the South that hasn't had the word pass through their lips at one time or another in their life," Webb told reporters.
Webb referred to his novel, "Fields of Fire," which aides said includes passages using the n-word as part of character dialogue. But he added: "I have never issued a racial or ethnic slur."
Asked for clarification of his original answer, spokeswoman Jessica Smith quoted Webb as saying, "I have never used that word in my general vocabulary or in any derogatory way."
She declined to say whether he had ever used the word apart from when he wrote his book.
Allegations of racial insensitivity by Allen dating to his high school days in California have become a major distraction for the senator since August, when he called a Webb campaign volunteer of Indian descent "macaca." The word is considered a racial slur in some cultures.
On Monday, a former football teammate of Allen's, Dr. Ken Shelton, said he heard Allen frequently use a common slur applied to blacks among white friends while in college. Allen called the claim "ludicrously false" and released statements from four other ex-teammates defending the senator and rejecting Shelton's claims.
Also in interviews with the AP and Salon.com late Sunday, Shelton claimed that on a hunting trip to Louisa County in 1973 or 1974, Allen stuffed the severed head of a female deer into the oversized mailbox of a black household near Bumpass, Va., 40 miles east of the university.
But in interviews Tuesday, two Louisa County sheriff's deputies who were on the force in the early '70s said that they recall no complaints about severed animal heads.
Retired Lt. Robert Rigsby said he was in charge of investigations in the early '70s, and any such report would have gone through him.
"I think that's a myth," Rigsby said.
Yeah, right. More like, "Well, we hitched our wagon to yet another piece of garbage story that couldn't withstand the slightest real scrutiny, and now we've got the NYT to continue the charge by dredging up even more of these losers, so let's just move on to the next smear and forget this episode ever happened."
Mark Levin ripped Sabato a new one last night. I guess Larry was listening.
Larry's rug must be on too tight.
I ashamed to say I took his class at Virginia.
I like your version better. ;OD
Perhaps Sabato has a long-term contract with Fox and they don't want to undermine his "expert" status.
Can you tell I am growing increasingly cynical?
I notice we are seeing this story on NewsMax, and not on the AP wire.
Sabato has ALWAYS been biased hard left since his days down here at Virginia Commonwealth University. I don't think I've ever heard this so-called "expert" not slant things toward a Democratic or liberal candidate and away from a Republican.
I learned a long time ago never to take anything that Larry Sabato says at face value.
}:-)4
Why is something that may or most likely did not happened in 1972 important? Is this another BIG story like George Bush getting stopped when he was 21 for drunk driving? If this is an effort to get the black vote for Democraps don't bother,they NEVER vote Republican anyway !!!
My experience has been that the people that are indeed racist and use the "N" word a lot are people you remember. I don't see how Allen could have gotten so far in politics and life if he used the "N" word a lot. Deep seated racism is hard to hide.
Who is John Scott?
So, this is what this is about. It's Webb who is accurately accused of using a racial epithet (fair or not). So, to distract attention from THAT, dem forces go on the offensive for him to accuse Allen of it instead, which is completely unverified, as opposed to Webb's which is in print. And Webb is totally wrong. I grew up in Virginia in this era and went to UVA in the early 70's. I'm far from perfect, but I never, ever had that word "pass through my lips." We knew better.
Who knew Kinko's had a Center for Politics branch at UVA?
Not to worry. Many people know that Larry is a putz.
But, in fairness, I must say he is a remarkable putz.
I think it has hurt Allen in the short run but if Allen is the POTUS candidate I am glad the Dems are firing their shots now. The truth will come out and Allen will be victorious in all of this garbage.
He is a morning anchor on Fox News, the 9:00AM Eastern time slot.
The libs are threathened by Allen, like they were with DeLay so they have to start a smear campaign...
The sad part of this is people are like sheep, they will believe it and this will ruin the man, like it has with so many others....
And I wouldn't be suprised if the Klinton Campaign machine of the 90's are back in business...if at first we can't get em by smearing, we'll kill them....
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