Roanoke Times Editorial: "George Allen's Flip-Flop"

By: PM
Published On: 10/24/2006 8:09:52 AM

http://www.roanoke.c...

The Roanoke Times aptly notes George Allen's finger-in-the-wind foreign policy:

George Allen's 'flip-flop'

First he says he supports the president's 'stay the course' in Iraq; now -- with his re-election uncertain -- he says 'mistakes have been made.'

Sen. George Allen is between Iraq and a hard place. All he needed to do was stick with the playbook to parlay the hardliner's stay-the-course Iraq message into a victory.

But a funny thing happened along the campaign trail. Virginians *** believe their more popular senior senator, John Warner, who returned two weeks ago from Iraq to report the war has gone "sideways." That view comes closer to matching the assessment of Allen's opponent.

fingerinthewind
George Allen studying the latest intelligence on Iraq
The dripping sarcasm continues:

What's a stay-strong-for-freedom kind of candidate supposed to do? Change tactics. Not to win in Iraq but to win at home on Election Day. And that means cutting and running from President Bush.

At a Thursday fund-raiser for Allen in Richmond, President Bush stuck to the familiar line against Democrats: "They would have our country quit in Iraq before the job is done. That's why they are the party of cut and run. We will fight. We will stay. We will win in Iraq."

Minutes after Bush left, though, Allen tried to backpedal from the president's message.

"Mistakes have been made and progress has been far too slow. We can't continue to keep doing the same things and expect different results."

The editorial notes a big inconsistency in Allen's war policy de jour:

When asked what "mistakes," Allen said it took too long to hold elections, form a new government.

That's not how he called it during his first visit to Iraq in February 2005, to celebrate Iraqis' "vote for freedom." Then Allen said, Iraqis had "taken a long stride" in the direction of the "free and representative democracy" that Americans wanted.

Allen stayed on message during his second trip to Iraq this past June, telling the Richmond Times Dispatch: "I think it's on the right track."

Allen criticized his Democratic opponent Jim Webb at every turn for speaking candidly and realistically about Iraq, while the senator dispensed the simplistic and delusional White House slogans.

I hope people are reading their local papers.

Comments



FROM MY RESPONSES TO THE PREVIOUS POSTING (Jon-Phillip - 10/24/2006 9:21:12 AM)
Is this campaign going to lose this election!?

Iraq, Iraq, Iraq, Iraq!!!

Get it?

Allen has flip flopped in a major way, the administration is in a tail spin on how to talk about Iraq, the Rs unity of message is breaking up all over the country.

Tell your boys and girls at Webb central not to waste resources on this silly pissing war on taxes and stock options.

Nail Allen on Iraq, Nail Allen on his flip flop, over and over and over and over again! 24/7!

The new M-D poll has VA at 51% disapprove of the war.

Get it?

AND:

Do not lose this election

Did I mention that Allen is a mf'n flip flopper?

The R's message on Iraq is listing, they are exposing themselves, hit them with a broadside!!!

Use the footage of the R's at the 04 convention you know, when they all had the flip flops, and were chanting about kerry.

Use that stuff, use Allen saying stay the course. then use his new lines.

Dont get caught in the tax weeds!!!!

DO NOT GET CAUGHT IN THE TAX ARGUMENT WEEDS, THAT IS WHERE ALLEN WANTS THIS DEBATE.



the iraq war was a mistake, yea right, as are u george (lgb30856 - 10/24/2006 9:25:02 AM)
the new mason dixon poll has two good quotes. webb is winning big time in nova and in hampton roads.
if jim wins in nova and hampton roads, he wins. that is the name of the game.
the fields of the southwest are filled with bigots. we don't want them.


Wrong (Jon-Phillip - 10/24/2006 9:38:21 AM)

I am sorry but you are completely wrong.

It is absolutely a completely irresponsible to advocate such a risky strategy.  You are offering a hope and a prayer that there will be low turn out in the rest of the state.

Hope is not a substitute for preparation for winning.

We have learned this from the current administration.  Just because we want something to be true does not make it so.

Webb must minimize his losses in the rest of the state to win.  plain and simple.  half the electorate resides where I reside, you might be deluded by the strength of support where you live, but I guaranty your strategy is a long long long shot.

I hope there is not thinking like this on the Webb team.



We're not, don't worry. (Lowell - 10/24/2006 10:05:07 AM)


Lowell where are Wilder, Warner and Kaine? (Jeff B - 10/24/2006 11:22:17 AM)
Webb is winning in NOVA and Hampton Roads it seems like all he needs is Richmond. Lets hope Webb and Co have a huge push coming in the next two weeks.


That's typical of the attitude (Kathy Gerber - 10/24/2006 10:14:55 AM)
that alienates entire sections of the state.  If it were more common among Democrats, count me among those who would cease to participate in party activities.  Having said that, there is certainly room for improvements.

Broad sweeping statements like that are inaccurate and inappropriate.  And when they are made against rural "white trash" they are just as offensive as any others.

I hope you will give some thought to this.



Easy on the Southwesties (Catzmaw - 10/24/2006 5:05:12 PM)
Just a few days ago a RuVa voter posted a complaint that people from NoVa are very close-minded and call people from South and SW names and feel very superior to them.  Then I encounter your comment saying the "fields of the southwest are filled with bigots. we don't want them".  Jim Webb just might want them.  He's proud to claim them as his people and I think he'd be offended at your labeling.  I've got family and friends in the mountains and the Valley, and though many of them lean Republican, a lot of them are not happy campers.  If we reach out to them insted of calling them names we'd get a lot farther and be a lot fairer. 


These people are delerious (Todd Smyth - 10/24/2006 10:06:17 AM)

"Staying the course means we don't tuck tail and run, that we don't retreat, that we don't surrender."
-- George Allen, Meet the Press, September



A sidebar: CA Congressional candidate Charlie Brown looks like a Jim Webb brother (PM - 10/24/2006 10:26:46 AM)
The Post did a profile about him today -- he's running against Doolittle in California and the polls are close.

http://www.washingto...

Here are a few things Wikipedia says about Brown:

http://en.wikipedia...._(politician)

Brown *** received his commission after graduating from the United States Air Force Academy in 1972 and served 26 years in the military. He retired from the Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1998, having served in every armed conflict from Vietnam to the Gulf War.

During the Vietnam War, Brown flew rescue helicopter missions in Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia and participated in the evacuations of Saigon, Phnom Penh, and the Mayagüez incident, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

He later flew fixed-wing reconnaissance missions in support of operations in Panama, Grenada, Lebanon, Libya, and other countries. After the Gulf War, he served in Air Force intelligence ***  [His wife]Jan is also a military veteran, having served in the Air Force Medical Service. Their son, Jeff, is an Air Force Captain, who is serving his fourth rotation in Iraq.

***A fiscal conservative who calls for balancing the federal budget, Brown emphasizes policy issues and personal character over party affiliation. He had himself been a life-long Republican until he felt that the party’s leadership abandoned its core values of security, integrity, prosperity, and conservation.

Brown defines his number-one issue as "the Constitution, including the Second Amendment" and questions whether current Republican leaders genuinely believe in individual liberties when they allow spying without a warrant on American citizens; or in small government when they create huge and ineffective bureaucracies; or in fiscal responsibility when they run up huge deficits.[1] He characterizes the incumbent, John Doolittle, as being among extremists who have taken over the party and allowed corporations to binge on federal contracts in the midst of a war while underfunding the Veterans Administration and neglecting the needs of middle-class families.

Note: Doolittle faces an ongoing federal investigation into congressional corruption scandals, including ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and defense contractor Brent Wilkes.

On social issues:


A social moderate, Brown identifies his other top priorities as: protecting Social Security; keeping American jobs at home; stopping out-of-control deficit spending; strengthening national security while bringing the war in Iraq to a quick and secure resolution; supporting strong, safe schools; ensuring clean water and air; and making good healthcare accessible to everyone. Brown is pro-choice, saying, "the government doesn’t get to make personal decisions for Americans, no matter how much they might like to do so.... I don’t have to approve. I don’t even have to understand. It’s not about me. It’s about individual liberties."

I hope he and Jim Webb can work together in the new Congress.  The last polls from Survey USA gave Doolittle a ten point lead, but earlier polls showed the race extremely close.



Where are Wilder, Warner, and Kaine (Jeff B - 10/24/2006 11:18:21 AM)
They can really help Webb in Richmond. It seems to me with Hampton roads, Nova and Richmond, Webb can win this election. 50% of the States voters are in NOVA and Hampton Roads all Webb needs to do is win Richmond and it is all over.

The rest of the State is a waste of time at this point. Webb has two of the pieces all he needs in Richmond and Wilder, Warner and Kaine can really help there.



I am just going to keep posting this over and over again. (Jon-Phillip - 10/24/2006 11:36:44 AM)
Hoping people read their local papers is not enough:

Nail Allen on Flip Flopping.

Show footage from the 04 Republican Presidential convention

Opening voice over:

IT WOULD BE PITIFUL IF THE CONSEQUENCES WHERE NOT SO DIRE.

FLIP FLOPPING GEORGE ALLEN SUFFERS FROM A DEFICIT OF LEADERSHIP

He goes where the biggest dog tells him to:

He is stay the course because Bush tells him: then big brother John Warner comes and tells him what to say, next. 

Allen follows he does not lead . . . Who is he going to follow next: George Bush or John Warner?

In the last week pull all the money out of NOVA and flood Richmond and South-side.  TV is cheaper in those markets, way more bang for the buck.



This administration is F-Iraq-tured. (Catzmaw - 10/24/2006 5:25:10 PM)
Gotta agree that we need to leave all the stock options crap behind and get on the real issues.  Allen's a Republican. People expect a little stock market hanky panky and don't find it all that shocking unless it's really major.  Plus, anyone following the races knows there are a couple of Dems with financial skeletons in the closet (Menendez).

I disagree with pulling ALL the money out of NoVa. I'm still encountering way too many fence sitters and women who think Webb hates them to advocate this; however, I think the bulk of the money's got to go to Richmond and Southside.  Get rid of the stock options commercial and go for the throat on Iraq and the national debt and war profiteer excesses.  Talk about how Allen wants to screw around with social security and do offshore drilling off Virginia Beach. 

Put out a commercial weaving together Bush saying stay the course, and Allen saying stay the course, then Webb saying we can't stay the course, and Allen ridiculing Webb for saying we can't stay the course, then Allen saying stay the course, then Bush saying they never said stay the course, then Allen saying of course we need a change in tactics or whatever pablum he was putting out there, then close with him talking about victory in Iraq and John Warner saying on Face the Nation that we can't talk about victory in Iraq.  Could probably do it in a 45 second spot.  Come on, guys, isn't that a lot less boring than technical violations of Senate ethics rules? 



We may be hillbillies... (Bubby - 10/24/2006 11:43:07 AM)
But the Roanoke Times is a much better newspaper than the Richmond Times Dispatch. Way better. Better writers, better editors, more in depth stories.  It is a pity that the State capital has such a lousy newspaper.

In fact all of the media outlets in Richmond are a poor second to the Roanoke market.  And the NPR affiliate in Roanoke is the best in the state - WVTF.  Not bad for a bunch of "bigoted" hillbillies eh?
 



I agree (Todd Smyth - 10/24/2006 12:43:52 PM)
The coverage (writing quality) on the Allen/Webb race has been very good out of Roanoke.  Richmond coverage seems like a very weird mixed bag.


Right on Roanoke (Catzmaw - 10/24/2006 5:10:42 PM)
I've been reading virtually every online version of every newspaper in the state and the Roanoke Times is pounding the competition into the dirt.  Not only is the coverage comprehensive and informative, but the opinions and LTE sections are really hopping.  This paper is sophisticated without being snobby and lays it out there without bombasity or talking around the issues.  Plus the online newsletter is good.  Yea, you "hillbillies" are doing just fine, I think. 


NEW Poll: Allen's Approval Rating Slides (PM - 10/24/2006 11:58:34 AM)
October 24, 2006

  http://www.wdbj7.com...

Senator George Allen's approval rating continues to slide as he faces a tough re-election fight.

The latest SurveyUSA tracking poll found that Allen's net approval rating fell to a Plus 1.  It was Plus 8 in September and Plus 13 in August.  Among the nation's 100 U.S. Senators, Allen fell from 74th in September to 84th in October.