James Webb, Democratic opponent of United States Senator and 2008 President hopeful, George Allen, Virginia Republican, has said there is no doubt Allen, despite his repeated denials, knew he was insulting 20-year-old Shekar Sidarth � a volunteer in Webb's campaign � by repeatedly calling him by the racially derogatory term 'Macaca.'

Webb, a decorated Vietnam veteran who served as Navy Secretary in the Reagan Administration and the author of six best-selling novels -- including the highly acclaimed Fields of Fire, considered a brutally honest and candid account of the Vietnam war -- said, "There was no doubt he knew what he was saying when he chose a particular world and used it twice."

Speaking at a fund-raiser hosted by Shekar and Charu Narasimhan � Sidharth's parents  � to which Rediff India Abroad was the only media outlet invited, Webb acknowledged that Allen's ratings plummeting in polls was directly related to the controversy  for which he apologized several times, including to Sidarth.

During the course of the event held at the Bombay Tandoor restaurant, he said he wished to talk about the incident briefly.

"From my perspective, particularly the political environment, there are three issues that came from that event.

"The first, was that Senator Allen would choose to bully someone who was simply doing his job out in an area surrounded by people who basically were Senator Allen's supporters. And, for someone, who a lot of people were saying might run for the Presidency of the United States, to turn around on an individual who has volunteered for my campaign � no matter who that individual was � I think is wrong.

"The second thing is that Senator Allen preceded his comments about me, basically saying that his opponent is out 'with the Hollywood movie moghuls, he's an inside the beltway guy, he would never dare to come down here,' where he was in Southwest Virginia."

"I have to take some personal offense with that because my family has been in Southwest Virginia for about 250 years and Senator Allen knows that."

"The third thing, which was wonderfully surprising to me," Webb said, "is I know what happened in the Indian American community. I know what happened even as far away in India, with respect to this incident, but I personally felt like my culture was insulted. There is an assumption in this part of Virginia (the more affluent and educated Northern Virginia) that the people of Southwest Virginia would have agreed with what Senator Allen said."

He said that for Allen, "who was born in California and who has attempted in many ways to adopt my culture, for him to assume that the people around him -- that people in that region � would agree, when he singled someone out that way, misunderstands this culture. This is a very inclusive and embracive culture."

"So on all three counts," he argued, "this individual (Allen) erred, and I would say to you in this room, I believe he should be held accountable."

Webb also said if elected to the US Senate, India and the Indian American community could count on him as a friend, and recalled that in 1998 in an article he wrote in the New York Times. "I was talking about the need for the United States and India to come to a different relationship," from the strained relationship of the Cold War era.

Webb said that "there are so many common interests between the two countries that I think as we move forward that, there's a natural relationship there."

"On the nuclear front," he said, "what you see is a kind of natural evolution from what happened when China enabled Pakistan to develop a nuclear capability. I was someone who was writing about that and warning about that as it went forward. So in one context or another, this (the US-India) relationship is a good relationship for the two countries. So on all those issues, the Indian American community and the people of India, would have a friend."