"President Bush and former president Bill Clinton will wade into Virginia's closely contested U.S. Senate race today at separate fundraisers that underscore the growing importance of the state in the fight for control of Congress.

The presidential visits for Sen. George Allen (R) and Democratic challenger James Webb will raise money and rally supporters for the final push to the Nov. 7 election. But the events come as Allen and Webb are using either the name "Clinton" or "Bush" to sway voters who either love or hate the current or former president.

"Bush mobilizes the Democrats, and Clinton mobilizes the Republicans," said Merle Black, a political science professor at Emory University who is following Virginia's Senate race.

Bush will be raising money for Allen in Richmond this afternoon. In the evening, Clinton will attend a sold-out Webb fundraiser at the McLean home of former senator Charles S. Robb (D-Va.). Webb and Clinton are expected to meet with reporters after the private event.

Webb and the Democrats are trying to make the race into a referendum on Bush and his Iraq war policy. A Washington Post poll taken a week ago showed 43 percent of likely Virginia voters approve of the way Bush is handling his job -- about the same nationally -- and 54 percent say the war in Iraq was not worth fighting. But fewer of those voters say their feelings about Bush will influence their Senate vote, compared with the number in a national poll.

Allen has responded by trying to link Webb to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), who some perceive as being too liberal for many Virginia voters.

"Webb is bought and sold by the left wing of the Democratic Party," said Dick Wadhams, Allen's campaign manager, who noted that until recently, Webb did not get along with Bill Clinton. "It really raises the question, can you really trust Jim Webb on anything he says when he swings back and forth between such extremes from one year to another?"

Kristian Denny Todd, a Webb spokesman, responded by saying "Bush and George Allen are one of the same. . . . They might as well be the same person."

When Webb was asked about Bush's visit, he said, "I hope he brings [Vice President] Cheney, too," who polls show is unpopular with voters.

Political analysts say both Webb and Allen are taking risks by bringing Bush and Clinton into the state, despite each one's ability to raise more than $1 million at a single event.

For Allen, a presidential visit could play with conservative voters who continue to admire Bush despite his low standing in the polls. But Allen has been taking subtle steps to draw distinctions between himself and the president.

Allen has been appearing alongside Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.), who has sparred with Bush over prisoner interrogations and recently said he wants to change course in Iraq if the violence does not subside soon. Yesterday, Warner was with Allen when he picked up the endorsement of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Political Action Committee and the National Vietnam and Gulf War Veterans Coalition at an event in Manassas.

Webb, meanwhile, will be appearing alongside a Democrat who lost Virginia in both of his presidential races. Clinton's reputation has improved since he left office, but analysts say he is still a divisive figure for some Republicans and veterans, who make up a sizable voting bloc in the state.

"Certainly, George Allen doesn't want to be seen too closely tied to the unpopular Bush administration and Jim Webb has to be careful, too, because Bill Clinton remains a negative symbol for many voters in this state, especially given Allen's efforts to tie Jim Webb to Hillary Clinton," said Mark J. Rozell, a political science professor at George Mason University.

Webb, a former marine who was wounded in Vietnam, disliked Clinton for years and once said he presided over "the most corrupt administration in modern memory."" (Tim Craig, The Washington Post, 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