"On the same day President Bush is slated to make an appearance on his behalf at a campaign fundraiser at the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond, Sen. George Allen received an endorsement from the National Black Farmers Association, his second endorsement from an African American-oriented organization in two days.

Allen, whose campaign has been repeatedly dogged by allegations of racial insensitivity, suggested that today's endorsement from the NBFA and yesterday's from The Richmond Voice, a local weekly newspaper, stemmed from his record in the Senate. 'It's a confirmation that this campaign, and my service as a U.S. senator, is one to reach out to all people,' the senator told reporters from a conference room at the downtown Marriott Richmond hotel.

Last month, Allen, along with Republican Sen. Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, introduced a bill in the senate to help 72,000 black farmers get another chance at claiming relief under a 1999 civil rights settlement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Many farmers had previously missed the cut-off date to file claims. The new bill, if passed, would give African American farmers a new course of action by which to proceed in court.

'The endorsement is not about Republican or Democrat,' said John Boyd, president of the NFBA. 'The endorsement is about helping people that desperately need help. You can't pass a bill with one party on Capitol Hill.'

Allen told reporters Wednesday that from 1983 to 1997 the U.S.D.A. had discriminated against African Americans who applied for loans or federal assistance.

Boyd, who is from Baskerville, Va., said he and the senator had a long 'heart to heart' about the bill. 'We [the NBFA] learned that some of the things that we've been hearing are not true,' said Boyd, referring to allegations of Allen's racist past.

After the bill was introduced in September, the Webb campaign called Allen's move 'politically expedient.'

The allegations of Allen's racial sensitivity began on Aug. 11, when Allen, while being filmed, referred to a volunteer of the Webb campaign as 'macaca,' a genus of monkey which is also considered a racial slur in parts of the world. Shortly after that, former teammates of Allen told reporters that Allen used the n-word frequently in college.

Before the 'macaca' incident, Allen, long considered a possible presidential contender in 2008, enjoyed a huge lead in the polls. But recent polls indicate that the race between Allen and Democratic challenger Jim Webb is a virtual dead heat. Tonight, former president Bill Clinton is scheduled to appear with Webb at a fundraiser at former Sen. Chuck Robb's home in Northern Virginia.

Yesterday, in an editorial endorsing Allen, the Voice said the senator's record with African Americans may have started out 'blotchy' but he had since learned what is important to their community.

Of the endorsement, Allen said Wednesday the paper likely focused on his record, citing his first speech on the Senate floor, in which he called for the support of Robert Gregory, an African American candidate for the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.

State Sen. Benjamin Lambert, an African American Democrat, has also endorsed Allen.

Asked by a reporter Wednesday if tonight's visit from the president could prove harmful, given his low approval rating, Allen simply responded that Bush was in town strictly for fundraising.

'We need to raise money, because Senator Hillary Rodham-Clinton has piled in $1 million via the Democratic Senate Committee,' he said. 'And national Democrat groups are running these smear, negative false ads against me. We need money to make sure we get our positive, constructive message out to the people of Virginia.'

Asked if he was proud of his support of Bush, Allen, who was supported the president 97 percent of the time in the senate, merely dodged the question, saying, 'I'm proud of my record in the U.S. Senate and I'm proud of my record as governor of Virginia.'" (Caine O'Rear, The Washington Times, October 19, 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