09/21/2006

By MATTHEW BARAKAT  / Associated Press

Democratic Senate candidate Jim Webb — often criticized for a lack of charisma on the campaign trail — sought a boost of energy from the party's political rock star, Sen. Barack Obama, at a campaign rally Wednesday.

Nearly 500 supporters came to the city's Market Square to hear Obama offer his support to Webb, who is trying to unseat Republican George Allen.

Obama touted Webb's leadership on foreign policy, in which Webb was an early critic of the Iraq war.

"The question is, 'Are we able to recognize that leadership when it is presented to us?' In Virginia we are seeing the emergence of someone we can all be proud of," said Obama, a favorite of the party faithful ever since his speech at the 2004 Democratic convention.

Obama declined to offer any direct criticism of Allen when asked by reporters after the rally.

"I try not to talk about my colleagues but to talk about the quality of the candidates," Obama said. "Jim Webb is a man of authenticity, a man who is comfortable in his own skin, a man of sincerity. The voters in Virginia can make up their own mind about George Allen," Obama said.

Webb, a former Navy Secretary under Ronald Reagan and an academic who has written fiction and nonfiction books, laced his speech with paraphrases of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, who wrote in the 19th century about society's disconnect from its agricultural roots.

"Today we are at risk of being cut away from our government," he said, citing "31,000 lobbyists who circle around our 535 elected representatives."

Webb 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 Sen. John Kerry, Sen. Ted Kennedy, Sen. Hillary Clinton, Sen. Harry Reid and Sen. Chuck Schumer will also be campaigning for ... Webb. They're all liberal Democrats," Wadhams said.