"In two days, Virginians get to choose between a guy who complains he's bored in the Senate ("It's too slow for me," George Allen said) and a challenger, Jim Webb, who says he's really first and foremost a writer.

In this wild, nasty and frightfully expensive campaign, we've learned way more than anyone ever wanted to know about what these two gents don't like: They're down on some combination of foreigners, blacks, women, Jews, Hollywood types, gays and sex. Oh, and each other -- big-time.

Which is a little odd, since in some important and odd ways, George Allen and Jim Webb are quite similar.

Both are fans of the Confederacy: Allen's idea of interior decor is the Stars and Bars. Webb named his son after Robert E. Lee. Both have spent most of their adult lives as Republicans.

Both are big on guns and symbols of macho toughness: Allen campaigns in cowboy boots; Webb, in combat boots.

Both have railed against political correctness, affirmative action and multiculturalism. Both resent Hollywood and other social elites, even though Allen grew up in Southern California and in the belly of American pop culture (the NFL), and Webb has built his career in the media worlds of publishing and, yes, the movies.

Both have run remarkably inept campaigns, but they have done so in dramatically different fashion: In a survey by the National Journal of campaign professionals in both parties, Allen easily landed the No. 1 spot in both the Democratic and Republican lists of which candidate has conducted the worst campaign in the nation.

Let's review: macaca, the Confederate pin in Allen's high school yearbook photo, the Rebel flag in his house, the hangman's noose in his law office, his evident repulsion at the notion he might have Jewish ancestors, his decision to accompany his acknowledgment of those roots with a joke about having a ham sandwich for lunch, his alleged use of racial slurs. At one point, Allen had damaged his moderate bona fides so severely that the apologies he issued spurred the Sons of Confederate Veterans to whack him from the other direction.

For his part, Webb played the role of reluctant candidate so convincingly that Democratic congressman Jim Moran of Alexandria felt compelled to note, "It would probably help if he'd be willing to shake a couple of hands."

Smiling wouldn't hurt, either. Nor would taking advantage of -- or at least noting -- Allen's missteps. Some politicians take the high road; Webb disappeared somewhere above Mount Everest's highest trail. His son went off to combat in Iraq, and Webb declined to make that part of his campaign. Webb wouldn't comment on allegations that Allen was a racist, wouldn't talk about the macaca moment, wouldn't get into the Jewish heritage controversy.

But don't get the impression that the Democratic campaign has been some university seminar. This fall classic has been filthy, clumsy and childish, too. A sample headline from a Webb press release: "George Allen, You Have Not Earned the Right to Question Jim Webb's Recollections of War -- So Just Shut Up." The Webb campaign chose to go clean: It left out the F part.

These two have spent the season remaking themselves at every turn. Webb now favors affirmative action and manages to share a stage with Bill Clinton, his new friend. And Allen is suddenly less eager to be seen as the president's loyal warrior.

Six years ago, when I traveled with candidate Allen, then the challenger to Sen. Chuck Robb, Allen proudly told me that "Bush even presents his ideas in the same order as I do. Almost the same words, too."

Things change. Now Allen is repositioning himself as an independent-minded fellow who suddenly believes some "adjustments" are in order in our approach to the debacle in Iraq. What a nice word, "adjustments."

Just two years ago, Allen was reluctant to embrace the president's push for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Now, such an amendment -- intended to lure conservatives to the polls Tuesday -- is at the heart of Allen's desperate campaign, and the senator has even gone so far as to willfully misstate Webb's position on the controversial issue. "I'm for marriage between a man and a woman, while my opponent is against it," Allen has been telling audiences.

In fact, while Webb opposes the amendment because he believes its restrictions would apply to all unmarried couples, gay or not, the challenger has repeatedly said that "marriage is between a man and a woman." (No liberal in this race.)

The critical difference in this campaign requires voters to look beyond the distasteful characters of both men. If Webb is as arrogant as Allen is cynical, if Allen is as devious as Webb is self-righteous, there is still this:

No matter how he now tries to shade it, the fact is the senator supports the stubborn course that the Bush administration has remained glued to in Iraq, whereas Webb, an early and vocal critic of the war, is determined to find a way out and a path toward -- you'll excuse the expression in this political season -- honor." (Marc Fisher, The Washington Post, November 5, 2006)

Editor's Note: An index to coverage of George Allen on the Loper website may be found at http://loper.org/~george/archives/2006/Aug/925.html