Still in the Cards?

Fred Barnes argues that if George Allen is still able to win reelection in Virginia, a relatively successful presidential run may be in the cards.

Obviously, it's hard to tell at this point. But one of the things that's most troubling about Allen's campaign against Jim Webb is his willingness to attack Webb from the left when it comes to Webb's views on women in the military. In essence, Allen intends to make hay of the fact that Webb's views, at least as expressed in the past, have been anything but politically correct.

The problem is that Allen's supposed to be a conservative, and to understand why women in combat is, indeed, a bad idea. What's more, he was governor when the state supported Virginia Military Institute's effort to remain single-sex.

So when Allen attacks Webb on anything approaching PC gender grounds, not only does it seem faintly opportunistic -- it's also hypocritical. After all, if there's one thing we've learned about George Allen, it's that there's a distinct streak of political incorrectness running through a portion of his own statements.

Well, any port in a storm, I guess.