I may be dense but I still believe Zabato is trying to be fair. He misunderstands much of what he does and he fails to realize how he's being used. But. I am not convinced he's doing any of this as a partisan hack.
Trust me, Sabato is part of a coordinated effort to slime Senator Allen. His actions and statements have not been honest or ethical. Look at the timing and coordination alone.
I will also suggest, although I can't find it in on-line, that Sabato is against the first question on this November's ballot in the Commonwealth - the so called "marriage amendment."