Full of Macaca

How much of an apology is an apology if you're still full of it?

Virginia Sen. George Allen apologized directly to S.R. Sidarth yesterday, telling the 20-year-old Democratic campaign staffer that he was sorry for offending him with remarks that have generated nationwide criticism for being racially insensitive.

Allen's telephone call to Sidarth was the first direct contact between the two since Allen (R) was caught by Sidarth's video camera calling him a "macaca" and welcoming the Fairfax native to "America and the real world of Virginia."

Sidarth said Allen told him that the apology was "from his heart."

It took several demands for an apology from Sidarth and more importantly, his lead in the polls evaporating before George Felix Allen, Jr. "apologized".

But wait, is it really an "apology"?

As the senator was apologizing, his campaign manager continued to blame Webb, the media and the senator's "leftist" foes for the controversy.

"It's great to have the president in Virginia, raising substantial amounts of money so we can fight off the scurrilous attacks by our opponent and his leftist allies," campaign manager Dick Wadhams said in an interview.

Last weekend, Wadhams sent a memo to GOP supporters in which he accused the media of creating a "feeding frenzy" over the incident and called it a "desperate attempt to revive a campaign that was fast-sinking -- the Webb campaign."

Asked whether that message is consistent with Allen's apologies, Wadhams said, "I think the memo speaks for itself."

So George Felix Allen, Jr.'s so-called "apology" was a calculated political move to placate those who were rightfully offended, while at the same time his henchmen took cheap shots at his opponents and the media to rally his more combative, defiant supporters.

So much for coming "from his heart".

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