by Paula Berrer

An embarrassed and apologetic Senator George Allen was discovered stuffing a horse’s head into the mailbox of Darryl Little, a field worker for Jesse Jackson’s voter outreach project in Virginia, and Allen insisted it was only a misunderstanding, and regrets any discomfort it may have caused Mr. Little or his family. “I had a lapse in judgement, of sorts,” Allen explained, “and I may have acted inappropriately in trying to fit this awful animal head into Mr. Little’s mailbox.

The embattled Virginia Senator has been defending himself against accusations of racism and of denying his Jewish ancestry, and his campaign for reelection has been sent reeling as a result. This latest episode, if nothing else, demonstrates a continued lack of discipline on the part of Mr. Allen as well as his campaign, say some observers. “There are a lot of sharp shooters on his team, but I don’t know why they aren’t able to reel stuff in,” said Charlie Batch of the Cook Political News Service.