Saddling Up for the Start of Fall's Races

"It's easy to second-guess Bush, but he is not doing bad at all," said Camden, who is leaning toward supporting Allen. "I know George Allen for being honest. Jim Webb, I don't know much about him."

Even though the crowd seemed to be heavily Republican, the parade watchers appeared highly receptive to Kaine and Warner.

"We're here to voice our support for Jim," Warner said as he shook hands. "We need an independent voice in the Senate."

William Cash, 68, of Buena Vista said that was all he needed to hear. "I'm for Webb. If he is in the footsteps of Governor Kaine and Governor Warner, he will be great," said Cash, a Democratic retired security guard.

Warner, who left the governor's office with high approval ratings, returned to Buena Vista hoping that some of that popularity would transfer to Webb. "You're the ex-governor, dude," one young girl told Warner as he crisscrossed the street.

But many of the people along the parade route seemed more interested in Warner's future.

"There's the next president of the United States," yelled Joe Wheeler, 65, prompting a "Lord knows" and a hearty handshake from Warner, who is expected to announce next year that he is running for president. "He's going to get my support if he does," said Wheeler, a retired pipe fitter from Buena Vista.

A few minutes later, Warner bent over to kiss Kendal Snider, who turned 1 year old last week. When the cameras arrived a moment later, he repeated the kiss to make sure it was captured.

Allen was reminded several times about his controversial comments, which have dogged him for weeks. One paradegoer wore a yellow T-shirt with Allen's face and the words "The Real Macaca." And a woman interrupted Allen while he was giving interviews, yelling, "Hey, George. Welcome to America and the real Virginia."

About midway through the parade route, Allen was nearly thrown from his horse when a protester spooked it. Sherry Stanley, a former Green Party official advocating for universal health insurance, darted toward Allen and asked him to read a flier on single-payer health programs. Stanley scared the horse, which bolted across the street before Allen brought it under control.

Webb and other Democrats have mocked Allen's cowboy image for months. Allen, who spent much of his early years in the Los Angeles area, routinely wears cowboy boots with his suits and chews tobacco on the campaign trail.

"I am who I am," Allen said from the horse when a reporter asked him whether it was smart to play up the cowboy image in an election year.

"I wouldn't be wearing a [cowboy] hat, but it was raining," Allen said. "If I wasn't riding a horse, folks would really be surprised and say, 'What has happened to George?' I am who I am, and it always makes it fun to ride a horse. Kids like horses."

In an enthusiastic speech after the parade, he whipped up the crowd, saying that America should refuse to surrender in Iraq, stop appointing "activist" judges, drill for oil in an Alaskan wildlife refuge and provide better education for children.

"It's fact, not fiction!" he roared, a dig at Webb, a novelist. "We are going to have fun and, as always, will be victorious. On to victory!"