George,

Looks like the Republicans are sure winners this fall here in Virginia, if you believe Jim Webb and Harris Miller.

Why? Simple. The GOP has George Allen running for re-election on their ticket.

Now, each of the candidates vying for the Democratic nomination is accusing his opponent of really being a Republican in political drag, so to speak.

For weeks, Harris Miller has been firing direct mail and telephone rounds into Camp Webb, accusing the former Marine of being a true believer in Republicans and Republican causes since Reagan, backing Bush and Allen in 2000.

Now, Mr. Webb has fired back in a direct mail piece of his own.

Webb is calling Miller a "corporate lobbyist" who is considered "one of the bad guys" by Democratic labor groups, insensitive to African-American concerns by the NAACP, gave "thousands of dollars in personal contributions to conservative Republicans," and that the Miller campaign is "under investigation by the FEC".

In short, Webb is calling Miller a Republican without using the word.

Strange?

This is undoubtedly the strangest Democratic primary in modern memory.

10 days out before the primary, and the main issue in a Democratic primary is: Which of the two candidates is the bigger Republican?

Remarkable.

Paul Goldman (electronic mail, June 3, 2006)