A GREAT deal of noise has been made recently over allegations that incumbent Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) supposedly used racial slurs while he was a student at the University. In fact, so much noise has been made that the real issues in the upcoming election have been left out in the cold. Perhaps this is the intention of the smear campaign against Sen. Allen, because when it comes down to the issues and the candidates' backgrounds Allen clearly blows Webb out of the water.
To begin with, take a look at Allen and Webb's respective backgrounds. George Allen served in the House of Delegates from 1983 to 1991, then in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1991 to 1993. As governor of Virginia from 1994 to 1998 he left office with an approval rating of nearly 80 percent. Allen then served in the U.S. Senate from 2000 until today and was elected chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 2002. Jim Webb, on the other hand, though he served with distinction in the U.S. Marine Corps, has comparatively infinitesimal experience -- almost all of which is limited to serving as Secretary of the Navy. Though these are certainly important, a United States senator needs to be familiar with a whole host of other topics.
Another critical comparison is Allen's record as governor of Virginia and as senator -- something which Webb cannot in any way parallel. Under Allen's administration Virginia was transformed at virtually every level: According to his Web site, Allen's administration "modified or eliminated 70-percent of all State regulations," as well as attracted $14 billion in investments and created 312,000 jobs. On top of this, Allen overhauled Virginia's education, welfare and criminal justice systems which resulted in more accountability in schools, decreased poverty rates and falling crime rates across the Commonwealth.
As a U.S. senator, Allen's leadership continued as chairman of numerous committees and sub-committees, and has worked to improve not only Virginia but also the country as a whole. As an example, Allen has worked to reduce taxes to help small businesses "keep the current economic expansion of opportunity growing stronger." In addition Allen's site also notes that he rejected the continuation of the pointless Assault Weapons Ban as "it has not reduced crime" according to various studies.
In contrast there are Webb's flimsy espousals of the issues which matter to him. On his Web site under "Economic and Social Fairness" Webb says that "we must reexamine our tax and trade policies and reinstitute notions of fairness," yet no where does he offer any details of how he will do so. A second key debate is over immigration. Webb is correct here in stating that "the primary concern must be securing the border" -- something Allen has been saying for a long time -- yet Webb proposes no method of doing so, nor does he offer any suggestions of what to do with illegal immigrant already within the country. Allen's Web site sums up the situation nicely, however, by pointing out that "if the U.S. government rewards illegal behavior with amnesty, we will get more illegal behavior."
Finally, there is the war in Iraq. Webb mostly looks backward by attacking Bush's decision to enter Iraq, and offers little in the way of solving the current problems there. His Web site claims that the United States "should not build permanent bases in Iraq" but that instead "we could move our troops out of the country but within the region." In other words, rather than help the Iraqis rebuild a war-torn country with a legacy of brutal dictatorship it is better to simply intervene from across the border whenever necessary.
Allen on the other hand has consistently done the right thing in recognizing that an oppressed and brutalized people needed help and that Iraq then and now represents a clear danger to U.S. and international security. Rather than looking continually backward or offering foolish haphazard solutions, Allen has worked closely with the President to find a winning strategy in Iraq and to restore peace and security. Most importantly, Allen sees that rebuilding Iraq will take time and that only through determination can we succeed.
Take a look at Allen and Webb's records and it is very clear that Allen is by far the more knowledgeable, more qualified candidate who offers the best possible future for Virginia as well as for the country. It is sad that his opponents have resorted to unconfirmed, second-hand reports of Allen's supposed actions as a student in order to smear his reputation. Fortunately the supposition that George Allen used racial slurs while a student seems to losing legitimacy as his classmates come forward. One can only hope that as more light is shed on these dubious allegations, center stage will once again belong to the wide variety of issues involved -- issues on which Allen offers real solutions.
Allan Cruickshanks is a Cavalier Daily associate editor. He can be reached at acruickshanks@cavalierdaily.com.
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