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What's the fastest way to lose constituent support? Ask Virginia's Sen. George Allen.

During a campaign stop last week in Breaks, Va., near the Kentucky border, the Republican hopeful for the 2008 presidential election, singled out S.R. Sidarth, a volunteer on Democrat Jim Webb's campaign. Sidarth, who is of Indian descent but was born and raised in the United States, attended the rally with camera in hand, a standard campaign practice that opponents often use for research purposes.

Sidarth's camera captured Allen saying, "This fellow here, over here with the yellow shirt, Macaca, or whatever his name is," he said, pointing directly at the camera. "He's with my opponent. He's following us around everywhere. And it's just great." After suggesting Webb has not visited many parts of the state and criticizing his opponent for meeting with "a bunch of Hollywood movie moguls," the senator turned back to the camera and addressed Sidarth. "Let's give a welcome to Macaca here. Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia."

For those not familiar with the term, Macaca is a genus of monkeys, including the rhesus monkey. And in some countries, it is used as a racial slur, CNN reports.

In a written statement, Allen apologized for using the term, saying, "In singling out the Webb campaign's cameraman, I was trying to make the point that Jim Webb had never been to that part of Virginia -- and I encouraged him to bring the tape back to Jim and welcome him to the real world of Virginia and America, outside the Beltway, where he has rarely visited." Allen added that he made up the nickname for Sidarth "which was in no way intended to be racially derogatory. Any insinuations to the contrary are completely false."

Sidarth said the apology fell flat. During an interview with CNN, Sidarth said he had introduced himself to Allen days before making the remark. "He was doing that because he could, because he could get away with it," Sidarth said. "I think he was just trying to point out the fact that I was a person of color, in a crowd that was not otherwise."

Time will tell if Virginia's voters can do what Sidarth could not and accept Allen's apology. Although it is too early to tell how this lapse in judgment will affect his campaign, it already has caused some to question Allen's racial sensitivity. Along with the Confederate flag pin he wore for his high-school yearbook photo, he has the Confederate flag in his living room, a noose in his law office and a picture of Confederate troops he kept in his office while serving as governor, according to The Associated Press. This, of course, does not bode well, considering the U.S. Census Bureau shows that "non-Hispanic whites" in Virginia make up approximately 69 percent of the population. Meanwhile, blacks make up approximately 20 percent, followed by Latinos who represent 6 percent and Asians 4.4 percent.

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