Va. Senate Race Goes Negative on 1979 Essay

Allen has been on the defensive for a month, responding to criticism after calling a young Webb volunteer "Macaca" and fighting old charges of racial insensitivity. In a speech Tuesday to a black educational foundation, Allen again apologized for the comment and attempted to explain his youthful admiration of the Confederate flag.

"What I was slow to appreciate -- and wish I had understood much sooner -- is that this symbol, which for me simply stood for rebellion against authority, and for others stood for regional pride in heritage, is, for black Americans, an emblem of hate and terror, an emblem of intolerance and intimidation," Allen said.

On Wednesday, Allen's campaign went on the offensive. The five women said they were among the first to attend the Naval Academy, which began admitting women in 1976. In Webb's article, he argued women cannot physically endure combat training and military-style hazing. He also raised concerns about fraternization. "Men fight better without women around," Webb said.

"This article was brandished repeatedly. [Men] quoted and used it as an excuse to mistreat us," said Kathleen Murray, a 1984 academy graduate who rose to commander in the Navy and retired to Norfolk.

Murray said she contacted other women and urged them to discuss Webb's article after learning that he was running for the Senate. She described the group as "not partisan," though she acknowledged that Allen's campaign helped to "facilitate" their news conference.

Interviewed later, Dan Proulx, a member of the academy's Class of 1982, said that early classes of women were harassed but that he didn't think Webb's article fueled the problem: "I would say it reflected more the time and spirit of times and the debate than it caused anything."

In his statement, Webb said that his article was written "during a time of great emotional debate . . . in this country." He said he is "completely comfortable" with the role of women in the military today, which he helped achieve by increasing opportunities for women while he was Navy secretary.

Webb spokeswoman Kristian Denny Todd said Allen was trying to smear Webb because the Democrat has been gaining in recent polls. "This is all they have, this kind of thing," she said. "It makes sense they would go in this direction."