Could George Allen’s (R-VA) career in politics be over? Let’s hope so. Jim Webb (D) still has a massive uphill battle, but Allen can’t stop hurting himself with his racist mouth. Ryan Lizza of the The New Republic found this article on Allen’s Jewish roots. Interesting stuff.

One of the questions I had about Eve Kessler’s fascinating look at Senator George Allen’s Jewish roots is whether Allen has known about this heritage but played it down, or whether it was news to him.

Bob Gibson, a longtime columnist for the Charlottesville Daily Progress, relays the following anecdote, which seems to clear things up:

It’s funny, but the only time that George Allen ever wanted a correction from me in 27 years of covering his races was when I wrote about his mother’s Jewish family origins. He insisted, through a press secretary, that his mother was raised a Christian.

As I said, this controversy is taking a toll on Allen. A Zogby poll released yesterday has Webb up 1%. Not significant in numbers, but it’s the movement that counts. Even if the spread is 4-5% in reality, this race is tightening and putting enormous pressure on Allen. This is a good thing!