Obama Campaigns for Va. Senate Candidate
By MATTHEW BARAKAT
The Associated Press
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., left, walks with Virginia Senate democratic candidate Jim Webb, right, as they are introduced together before a campaign rally at Market Square in Alexandria, Va., Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2006. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Often criticized for a lack of charisma on the campaign trail, Democratic Senate candidate Jim Webb sought a boost of energy from the party's political rock star, Sen. Barack Obama, on Wednesday.
The Illinois senator touted Webb's leadership on foreign policy, including his early criticism of the Iraq war....
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Webb, a former Navy Secretary under Ronald Reagan and an academic who has written fiction and nonfiction books, accused Allen and President Bush of catering to corporate interests "while your job goes overseas and your kid goes to Iraq." Webb's son, a Marine, was recently deployed to Iraq.
Allen's campaign spokesman, Dick Wadhams, said that Obama's appearance is evidence of Webb's alignment with the Democrats' liberal wing.
"We assume Senator John Kerry, Senator Ted Kennedy, Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Harry Reid and Senator Chuck Schumer will also be campaigning for ... Webb. They're all liberal Democrats," Wadhams said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/20/AR2006092001930.html