Va. senator apologizes to student for remark
WASHINGTON -- Senator George Allen, Republican of Virginia, apologized directly to S.R. Sidarth yesterday, telling the 20-year-old Democratic campaign staffer that he was sorry for offending him with remarks that have generated nationwide criticism as being racially insensitive.
Allen's telephone call to Sidarth was the first direct contact between the two since Allen was caught by Sidarth's video camera calling him ``macaca" and derisively welcoming the Fairfax native to ``America and the real world of Virginia."
Sidarth said Allen told him the apology was ``from his heart."
``His main point was he was sorry he offended me," Sidarth, who started his senior year at the University of Virginia this week, said in an interview. ``He realized how much he offended me from the comments I made in the media."
The call followed a series of public mea culpas, including one heard across the nation Tuesday on the conservative radio talk show hosted by commentator Sean Hannity.
``I take full responsibility. I'm not offering any excuses, because I said it and no one else said it," a somber-sounding Allen told Hannity's audience of more than 12 million listeners. ``It's a mistake. I apologize and from my heart, I'm very, very sorry for it."
Allen also apologized Tuesday at the Greenspring Village retirement community in Springfield.
The term ``macaca" refers to a genus of monkey and is considered an ethnic slur in some cultures. After Sidarth's video was posted on the Internet by the campaign of Allen's Democratic opponent, James Webb, the incident became national news and had Allen on the defensive. Political observers said Allen appears to be trying to put the controversy behind him with more fervent expressions of regret.
Even so, yesterday about 50 Democratic activists protested outside a Fairfax County fund-raiser for Allen headlined by President Bush. As Bush arrived in Virginia last evening, Democrats waved signs that said ``Hey, George, macaca is a bad word." About the same number of Allen supporters offered signs like ``We love George. We support you."
