The Republican Party just got a lot less Jewish. Not only do the resignation of Republican National Committee chair Ken Mehlman and the concession of Virginia Senate hopeful and former '08 presidential favorite George Allen mean bad thing for GOP leadership, they also significantly cut down the number of chosen folk in the party's drink-umbrella-size cultural tent.

According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, "Mehlman, the second Jewish chairman of the GOP, focused on outreach to minorities that have traditionally favored Democrats, including Jews, blacks and Hispanics." Allen, as you may recall, was somewhat less enthusiastic about acknowledging his religious roots. The cowboy-boots-wearing, epithet-slinging son of a famous football coach, who listed his influences as "[Christian] faith, family, freedom, and football," didn't exactly handle campaign-season revelations of his Jewish ancestry with inclusive classiness. "I still had a ham sandwich for lunch. And my mother made great pork chops," he told reporters.

Children of Israel, forgiving people as they are, have taken no offense. In fact, the Forward has awarded Allen the honorary placement of 51st in its Forward 50 list of the most influential members of the American Jewish community. The macaca may be on him, but he'll always have a home to return to where he can wash his spirit clean.

Allen-Webb Deadlocked to the End [Mother Jones]
Senator George Allen (R-Va) Named as '51st' in Forward 50 List [PRNewswire]