Allen, Webb in Slashing, Wide-Ranging Debate

The race tightened late this summer after Allen referred to a Democratic volunteer of Indian descent as "macaca," considered a racial slur in some cultures. The gaffe opened Allen up to scrutiny about his past, including his having once displayed a noose in his law office and his admiration as a young man for the Confederate flag.

Allen acknowledged that some of the trouble was his own doing, but he blasted as untrue allegations of racial insensitivity, including allegations that he in the past used an offensive racial epithet about black people.

The debate Monday offered viewers a chance to make direct -- if not particularly deep -- comparisons of the two candidates on many issues. The candidates continued to spar over the war in Iraq, responding to a question from the moderator, Russ Mitchell of CBS News, about the 2,700 Americans killed since the war began.

Allen has accused Webb of wanting to "cut and run" from Iraq. Allen says that he hopes U.S. troops can come home soon but that they must continue to fight in Iraq to prevent terrorists from operating there.

"We must persevere," Allen said. "We cannot be a country that just loses faith in our ability to protect ourselves. . . . Our goal is to make sure Iraq is a country that is on our side on the war on terror."

In past debates and on the campaign trail, Webb has called the war "a strategic blunder of historic proportions" and criticized Allen for not asking tougher questions about President Bush's conduct of the war and its aftermath.

During the debate, he responded to Allen's contention that Democrats would leave Iraq as a haven for terrorists. "Nobody wants to see terrorism in Iraq or elsewhere," Webb said. He reiterated his position that peace and stability could be achieved in Iraq through diplomacy involving other countries, including those in the region.

The debate gave Allen and Webb several opportunities to question each other directly, leading to several testy arguments that left Mitchell trying to restore order.

Allen repeatedly attacked Webb for what he said was his support for tax increases, citing Webb's statements questioning tax cuts championed by Bush. In an earlier debate, Webb said, "I don't understand how you can have a tax cut and be spending $500 billion on the war."

On Monday, Webb said the comment was meant to suggest only that he would roll back tax cuts for the wealthy, not tax cuts for married couples or cuts in estate taxes as Allen has contended in a television commercial and asserted again during the debate.

"I never said that I would agree with tax increases that you used in your ad," Webb said.

When Webb got the opportunity to question Allen, he went after what he has called Allen's lack of foreign policy knowledge.