George Allen in trouble again

The nightmare that began for Sen. (and possible '08 candidate) George Allen when he uttered the now infamous word "macaca" at that small-town political rally in Virginia just goes on and on. Allen tried to bury the hatchet with minorities by recently hosting an "ethnic rally" in northern Virginia, complete with photos from the event on his website. Shaking the hands of a few Indian-Americans may not be enough for Allen to put "macaca-gate" behind him.

The more serious issue for Allen are his rapidly sagging poll numbers in his Senate race with Democrat Jim Webb. The most recent poll done, and the first since his "macaca" statement, has Allen with 46% to Webb's 42%. The difference between the two is within the poll's margin of error. Allen's numbers have precipitously dropped in the last few months, making the race wide-open. This would obviously be devastating for Allen After all, an embarrassing defeat as the incumbent in his Senate race is not a very good way to launch a presidential bid.

Which brings us to Allen's stalled '08 campaign. A new poll and analysis of an Allen bid in 2008 show that even Virginia voters have cast him aside as a presidential candidate.

In a new survey conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, more than half of the Virginia voters polled said they would not consider voting for Allen if he gets the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. Only 37 percent said Allen should even try for the job.

Voters appear more enthusiastic about a possible presidential bid by former Gov. Mark Warner, a Democrat who has been traveling the country to increase his profile and help his party's congressional candidates in the midterm elections. In the poll, 54 percent said Warner should run for president and 56 percent said they would consider voting for him if he gets the Democratic nomination.

Allen is done in '08, and maybe even in his Senate race. Good numbers for Nextel Warner though. Did his infamous virtual reality interview actually work?