Say it ain't so, George!

Virginia Senator George Allen, a strong contender for the White House in 2008 (and second place finisher in my first straw poll), may have made a huge strategic blunder.  He released a statement that, in some circles, is being construed as an assault on President Bush for failing to meet (again) with Mommy Sheehan.  Here is the relevant text:

Personally, I would have just met with Mrs. Sheehan several weeks ago when she first made this solitary request.

However, in all fairness, I think it is important to read this paragraph as part of the entire statement:

I feel a great deal of sympathy and gratitude for any parent who has lost a child in this War and as a matter of common decency I will not criticize them in their grief.  I do not agree with the inappropriate and in many cases outrageous statements from Mrs. Sheehan regarding the President, his actions or the importance and legitimacy of this war effort.  Her son and many thousands of other soldiers have died and made other great sacrifices to end the reign of a truly evil tyrant and to secure the opportunity for freedom in Iraq. This noble cause will also help us prevail in the overall War on Terror which will continue to be a challenge for years to come.

Personally, I would have just met with Mrs. Sheehan several weeks ago when she first made this solitary request.  It may be that nothing the President or I could say would change her mind but with a simple meeting I think this whole issue would have been diffused and she would not have become a political rallying cause celebre.

(emphasis added).

But unfortunately, when the Left notices a single sentence from a prominent Republican that, taken out of context, reads as an admonishment of the Bush Administration, the liberal mainstream media only presents the quote in this negative context.  Clearly, Allen is stating that he thinks Sheehan is a raving moonbat.  But, in diplomatic form, he recognizes her grief.  But he made a critical error in letting slip a comment about Bush that could fuel the fire of the fifth-column anti-American Left.  And, unfortunately, some on the Right, receiving only the parsed portion of the statement, may be getting a false idea about Allen.

I think Allen is still a great guy and a strong candidate.  I just hope that A) he learns how to avoid inadvertently giving the enemy a soundbite, and B) is able to overcome any false negatives he suffers over this gaffe.

Right now, Allen is doing about as well as predicted in my second straw poll (see right-hand side-bar); let's see if he suffers fallout over his statement...

Comments

[TKC]

I'm not so sure that is such great advice, meeting with her again privately. Considering the far left's propensity for quoting out of context and twisting the meaning of words I would be an ice cold lager that two opposing reports would come out of such a meeting. Ms. Sheehan's would almost certainly be negative.... and on the front page. Minus any moonbattery of course.

She is best ignored. She is only preaching to the choir.

[Brian B]

I agree with TKC. Unfortunately she's put the President in a doubly damned position. To meet with her would be/have been to appear guilty, like he was admitting she's right. To fail to do so is to fuel her little bandwagon.

[Gullyborg]

Allen screwed the pooch here--an important learning experience for him if he thinks he has what it takes for national office and the exposure that comes with it.

[Kit]

I'm not so sure about Allen as a good presidential candidate. You wouldn't BELIEVE what we went through in Virginia to get him to change his mind on supporting the renewal of the Assault Weapons Ban. He said "Assault weapons are evil! We must renew!" THe VCDL motivated voters in Virginia to flood his office with calls and letters and petitions, and after almost a year of hard work, he finally said "Yay second amendment! No renewal!" I just can't be happy about that sort of flip-flopping on something he shouldn't have had to think twice about.

[Gullyborg]

unfortunately, Virginia politics is too influenced by DC politics. Any candidate, no matter how conservative, who doesn't play the opposition well, will fail. If anything, I think Allen's ability to stay in power in what may be the most difficult state in the nation shows he has what it takes to successfully manipulate the enemy into thinking he is an ally.

Also, many gunners are upset that Allen didn't support a Senate bill to shield gun makers from liability. But in truth, the bill was a bad bill--anti-gun Senators managed to add enough amendments to make the bill pretty repugnant. Many pro-gun Senators ended up voting against it.