Goodbye, Sen. Allen, don’t let the door…

Just like that, U.S. Sen. George Allen’s political future has ended. Allen’s hopes of becoming president of the United States ended yesterday in the small town of Breaks, Virginia. At a campaign rally there, Allen twice pointed to a young man of Indian descent in the crowd — who happened to be the only minority present — and mockingly called him “Macaca.” The word, which ...

Just like that, U.S. Sen. George Allen's political future has ended.

Just like that, U.S. Sen. George Allen’s political future has ended.

Allen’s hopes of becoming president of the United States ended yesterday in the small town of Breaks, Virginia. At a campaign rally there, Allen twice pointed to a young man of Indian descent in the crowd — who happened to be the only minority present — and mockingly called him “Macaca.” The word, which in many countries is used as a racial slur, comes from the name of a long-tailed, crab-eating monkey found in Asia known as the macaques. Pointing to the young Indian-American, Allen employed the term:

Let’s give a welcome to Macaca, here. Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia.”

The crowd giggled and snickered. Sadly for Sen. Allen, however, the young man, whose name is S.R. Sidarth, happened to be videotaping the event. He also happens to work for Sen. Allen’s Democratic opponent.

Sen. Allen says that he was unaware of the genesis of the word and that he in no way intended it to be racially demeaning. That excuse would be easier to believe were it not coming from a U.S. senator with a penchant for collecting — and wearing — Confederate flags. Never mind that the young man Sen. Allen chose to belittle is both an American and a native Virginian. That any U.S. senator would speak this way should be grounds for immediate censure by his colleagues and calls for resignation within his own party. Just ask former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott.

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