A good e-mail:
Of course this incident doesn’t make Allen a racist and I do not like how the MSM implies that (although I guess it is not that surprising after Gibson’s tirade a few weeks go). But the video shows Allen losing his temper and being a bit of a bully to the opponent’s staffer. I sympathize with Allen’s frustration. I would be ticked off being followed around by a video camera from the other side too–but it was obviously openly done and if anything Allen should have tried to turn it into an advantage. Rich Lowry is absolutely right–that requires a light touch. Losing your temper or composure out of proportion to a challenge in public is a very bad thing in politics. It would have been better for Allen if it never happened, but I would rather Allen have a stumble like this now, well before the primaries. Are conservatives supposed to protect or excuse Allen’s screw up now so he can do something worse when he is possibly running as the Republican candidate against Al Gore or Hillary Clinton? Republicans need to start getting down to the task of picking the best candidate for 2008 who can win. I suspect Allen will likely survive this politically (it will eventually blow over)–but this was a serious wakeup call to him.