Reply #34: Webb sorry for 1979 article, Sep 14, 2006 [View All]

[w4rma]

1979 article sparked criticism; Allen blasts TV ad on armor

BY TYLER WHITLEY AND JEFF E. SCHAPIRO
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITERS

Sep 14, 2006
…
The Allen campaign brought six former officers, one of whom was male, to the Richmond Marriott Hotel to meet with reporters. Allen's advertising consultant, Scott Howell, filmed it for a possible campaign commercial.

Webb quickly apologized.

In a statement issued by his campaign, the former Navy secretary and Republican-turned-Democrat, said, "I am completely comfortable with the roles of women in today's military."

Webb also said, "To the extent that my writings subjected women at the Academy or the active armed forces to undue hardship, I remain profoundly sorry."

The speed with which Webb apologized was in contrast with Allen's handling of fallout from his calling Webb aide S.R. Sidarth "Macaca," a genus of monkey and word used in some cultures to demean dark-skinned people.

More than a week passed before Allen apologized to Sidarth. The episode revived an image of Allen as racially insensitive.

Webb, who was dogged by his disputed article during the Democratic primary but never apologized at the time, said the piece was written "during a time of great emotional debate over a wide array of social issues in this country and the tone of this article was no exception."
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