Satan
08-14-2006, 03:55 PM
Sen. Allen's Remarks Spark Ire
By Tim Craig and Michael D. Shear
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, August 14, 2006; 3:16 PM
Democrat James Webb's Senate campaign accused Sen. George Allen (R) of making demeaning comments Friday to a 20-year-old Webb volunteer of Indian descent.
S.R. Sidarth, a senior at the University of Virginia, had been trailing Allen with a video camera to document his travels and speeches for the Webb campaign. During a campaign speech Friday in Breaks, Virginia, near the Kentucky border, Allen singled out Sidarth and called him a word that sounded like "Macaca."
"This fellow here over here with the yellow shirt, Macaca, or whatever his name is. He's with my opponent. He's following us around everywhere. And it's just great. We're going to places all over Virginia, and he's having it on film and its great to have you here and you show it to your opponent because he's never been there and probably will never come."
After telling the crowd that Webb was raising money in California with a "bunch of Hollywood movie moguls," Allen again referenced Sidarth, who was born and raised in Fairfax County.
"Lets give a welcome to Macaca, here. Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia," said Allen, who then began talking about the "war on terror."
In an interview, Sidarth said he suspects Allen singled him out because he was the only non-white face in the audience, which he estimated included about 100 Republican supporters.
"I think he was doing it because he could and I was the person of color there and it was useful for him in inciting his audience," said Sidarth. "I was annoyed he would use my race in a political context."
Allen campaign manager Dick Wadhams said the Webb campaign's complaints about the comments are unfounded and he said Allen had "nothing to apologize for" to the young man.
Wadhams said Allen campaign staffers had begun calling Sidarth "mohawk" because of a haircut Wadhams said the Webb staffer has. "Macaca was just a variation of that," Wadhams said.
He said Allen's comment welcoming Sidarth "to America" was not an insult. "Welcome to the real world. Welcome to Virginia. That's all that was," Wadhams said.
Kristian Denny Todd, a Webb spokeswoman, said the campaign wants to know what Allen meant by Macaca.
"We would like Senator Allen to tell us exactly what he means by the comment," Todd said.
Depending on how you spell it, the name Allen gave Sidarth means different things.
If spelled M-a-c-a-c-a, the term refers to a species of monkeys in the Eastern Hemisphere. "Is he saying Sidarth is a monkey?" Todd asked.
The word M-a-k-a-k-a refers to a town in South Africa.
Todd accused Wadhams of "reaching" for an explanation for Allen's comments. "The kid has a name. This is trying to demean him, to minimize him as a person," Todd said.
Wadhams also went on the offensive, accusing Webb of having sent out an anti-Semitic flyer during his primary campaign earlier this year. The flyer, which contained a caricature of Webb's Jewish opponent, drew some criticism at the time. "He had prior knowledge of it and has never apologized for it," Wadhams said.
Todd said Wadhams is trying to change the subject. "The flyer was never meant to be anti-Semitic," she said. "That was a charge levied by our opponent at the time to drive voters away from Jim Webb much like Allen's trying to do today."
<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9G7gq7GQ71c"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9G7gq7GQ71c" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>
By Tim Craig and Michael D. Shear
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, August 14, 2006; 3:16 PM
Democrat James Webb's Senate campaign accused Sen. George Allen (R) of making demeaning comments Friday to a 20-year-old Webb volunteer of Indian descent.
S.R. Sidarth, a senior at the University of Virginia, had been trailing Allen with a video camera to document his travels and speeches for the Webb campaign. During a campaign speech Friday in Breaks, Virginia, near the Kentucky border, Allen singled out Sidarth and called him a word that sounded like "Macaca."
"This fellow here over here with the yellow shirt, Macaca, or whatever his name is. He's with my opponent. He's following us around everywhere. And it's just great. We're going to places all over Virginia, and he's having it on film and its great to have you here and you show it to your opponent because he's never been there and probably will never come."
After telling the crowd that Webb was raising money in California with a "bunch of Hollywood movie moguls," Allen again referenced Sidarth, who was born and raised in Fairfax County.
"Lets give a welcome to Macaca, here. Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia," said Allen, who then began talking about the "war on terror."
In an interview, Sidarth said he suspects Allen singled him out because he was the only non-white face in the audience, which he estimated included about 100 Republican supporters.
"I think he was doing it because he could and I was the person of color there and it was useful for him in inciting his audience," said Sidarth. "I was annoyed he would use my race in a political context."
Allen campaign manager Dick Wadhams said the Webb campaign's complaints about the comments are unfounded and he said Allen had "nothing to apologize for" to the young man.
Wadhams said Allen campaign staffers had begun calling Sidarth "mohawk" because of a haircut Wadhams said the Webb staffer has. "Macaca was just a variation of that," Wadhams said.
He said Allen's comment welcoming Sidarth "to America" was not an insult. "Welcome to the real world. Welcome to Virginia. That's all that was," Wadhams said.
Kristian Denny Todd, a Webb spokeswoman, said the campaign wants to know what Allen meant by Macaca.
"We would like Senator Allen to tell us exactly what he means by the comment," Todd said.
Depending on how you spell it, the name Allen gave Sidarth means different things.
If spelled M-a-c-a-c-a, the term refers to a species of monkeys in the Eastern Hemisphere. "Is he saying Sidarth is a monkey?" Todd asked.
The word M-a-k-a-k-a refers to a town in South Africa.
Todd accused Wadhams of "reaching" for an explanation for Allen's comments. "The kid has a name. This is trying to demean him, to minimize him as a person," Todd said.
Wadhams also went on the offensive, accusing Webb of having sent out an anti-Semitic flyer during his primary campaign earlier this year. The flyer, which contained a caricature of Webb's Jewish opponent, drew some criticism at the time. "He had prior knowledge of it and has never apologized for it," Wadhams said.
Todd said Wadhams is trying to change the subject. "The flyer was never meant to be anti-Semitic," she said. "That was a charge levied by our opponent at the time to drive voters away from Jim Webb much like Allen's trying to do today."
<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9G7gq7GQ71c"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9G7gq7GQ71c" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>