The chief spokesmen and strategists for Republican Senator George Allen and his challenger, James Webb, have been locked in a battle of the press releases. (Greg Pollowitz is, as usual, on top of the story, as well as the Hotline.)

Allen’s campaign manager, Dick Wadhams, criticized Webb for opposing a constitutional amendment banning flag burning:

“James H. Webb, Jr. continues to demonstrate he is totally beholden to the liberal Washington Senators who dragged him across the line in the Democratic primary,” said Dick Wadhams, campaign manager for U.S. Senator George Allen’s reelection campaign. “By announcing his opposition to the Flag Protection Amendment, James H. Webb, Jr. puts himself firmly on the side of John Kerry, Ted Kennedy and Charles Schumer.” 

The response from Steve Jarding, Webb adviser, shot back :

The campaign of U.S. Senate candidate Jim Webb today called the attacks on Webb’s patriotism by Allen’s campaign, “weak-kneed attacks by cowards” and demanded that Allen and his campaign apologize.

“George Felix Allen Jr. and his bush-league lapdog, Dick Wadhams, have not earned the right to challenge Jim Webb’s position on free speech and flag burning. Jim Webb served and fought for our flag and what it stands for, while George Felix Allen Jr. chose to cut and run. When he and his disrespectful campaign puppets attack Jim Webb they are attacking every man and woman who served. Their comments are nothing more than weak-kneed attacks by cowards. George Felix Allen Jr. needs to apologize to Jim Webb and to all men and women who have served our nation,” Webb spokesman Steve Jarding said.

On Tuesday, George Felix Allen Jr. and his campaign issued a press release in which the Allen campaign, through Wadhams, implied that Webb’s position in support of the Free Speech Amendment to the U.S. Constitution amounted to a political act and not a defense of our Constitution, which Webb fought for and for which he was highly decorated. George Felix Allen Jr. did not serve

“I believe it is precisely because of bush-league attacks like this that John Zogby, a highly respected, independent polling expert just this week said that Dick Wadhams is not fit to serve as a campaign manager and that George Allen should find a new manager,” Jarding said.  

Wadhams' response:

"Sad and pathetic but predictable from a campaign that resorted to using an anti-Semitic cartoon against their opponent in the primary. So I guess anytime Webb's vacillation on issues is questioned they will resort to this. Since the rumor is out there that the DSCC will be taking over the campaign replacing the staff and consultants I guess Jarding had to try and show how tough he is." 

Jarding's response:

"Dick Wadhams is a wounded dog and he is lashing out. First, he was reprimanded publicly for arrogantly and inexplicably berating a national independent pollster who simply stated his findings in a Wall Street Journal poll which showed Allen to be in big trouble against the independent and refreshing Jim Webb. Then Wadhams rudely, irreverently, and inexplicably attacked a highly decorated Vietnam veteran in Jim Webb for his position on freedom of speech. Dick Wadhams' tired old slash and burn politics strategy is now biting him in the behind because Jim Webb and his campaign will not roll over to this plastic, smoke and mirrors campaign tactic. And Wadhams wonders why people are calling for his head. And Dick, one more thing, I am too old and have been through too many wars to respond to your comments that I am acting "tough." This isn't about you or me, Dick. And it is no act. George Allen's rubber stamp of all things Bush and his eagerness to cave to special interests have hurt too many Americans, have shattered too many dreams and have squashed too many opportunities for tens of thousands of Virginians and millions of Americans. The truth is, Dick, this fight is bigger than either one of us. I trust the people of Virginia to send you that message."

And Wadham's response (in part; full text here):

I have something in common with Steve Jarding – we have the same editor on our books at Simon & Schuster. If you read this profile of Jarding’s co-author, Dave “Mudcat” Sanders, by Matt Labash last year, you knew/learned that Sanders sounds like one of the more interesting consultants/strategists in the Democratic Party. While he is a partisan Democrat through and through, some of his arguments are unusual, and perhaps compelling, contending that Republicans have ignored the concerns of rural communities – economic growth is driven mostly by government spending, communities can’t retain young people, environmental damage harms the habitats of fish and game, etc. I doubt many conservatives will be entirely persuaded, but clearly Mudcat’s been looking hard at these issues, and he’s the antithesis of the urban elitist.

So I was fairly intrigued by what their book, "Foxes in the Henhouse" would say. And when I finally read it, it did have some of the “let’s look hard at the problems of rural America” stuff I found compelling. But a lot of the book – a lot – was just scathing anger at President Bush specifically and Republicans in general. Large swaths of the book were written with the soul of a Kossack; the aim doesn't appear to be to win over Republicans; it is to berate their party leaders endlessly on whether they served in Vietnam. It felt like “chickenhawk, chickenhawk, chickenhawk" and “that draftdodging sonovabitch president" appeared on every other page.  

From the Labash profile, and what else I’ve seen of Mudcat, he doesn’t seem to be a guy filled with rage — or at least he seems to grasp that it's not always persuasive. Jarding, on the other hand... well, we’re seeing the same tone in his press statements for Webb that turned me off from “Foxes in the Henhouse.” It will be interesting to see if Virginia voters share his taste for rage.