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09.13.06 -- 1:28PM
By Josh Marshall

BREAKING: Controversy over Sen. Allen's Racism Overshadowed by New Evidence He's a Big Fat Liar!

Yes, more fun from the Virginian-Pilot's article on Allen Macaca Apology 3.0.

Deep down in the article, the piece quotes Allen waxing contemplative about his learning process about referring to non-whites with racial epithets ....

I've learned a valuable lesson about the power of words, about how words carelessly chosen, or in my case, even made up, can have a totally unintended meaning and impact for another person from another background or from a different cultural perspective.

This, of course, is a reference to his calling the Webb campaign volunteer "Macaca".

But let's review. We know that not only is "macaca" a widely used racial epithet in American crypto-racist and white supremacist circles. Its apparent origin is among the colonial population of francophone North Africa -- where Allen's mother was raised.

Now, call me ungenerous, but given those facts, the idea that "macaca" was simply three syllables Allen randomly strung together when digging at a dark-skinned young man who was getting on his nerves just doesn't strike me as credible.

I don't expect Allen to admit now that rather than make this name up it was a synonym for the N-word that he was fond of when he was a kid. But he's practically begging for renewed attention to this transparent lie by weaving it, again and again, into his strained apologies.

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