On the Trail: Cowboy Boots vs. Combat Boots

July 9, 2006 — -- In an exclusive feature on "This Week," George Stephanopoulos went on the trail to report on the bitter Senate battle brewing in Virginia between incumbent Sen. George Allen, R-Va., and his Republican-turned-Democratic challenger James Webb.

"You know, Ronald Reagan left the Democratic party and went to the Republican Party," said Webb, who served as Reagan's Navy Secretary before changing parties over the issue of Iraq. "And I said a while back, I think if Ronald Reagan were alive today looking at where his party has gone, he might be thinking about coming back to the Democratic Party too."

"Yeah, right," Allen responded, telling Stephanpoulos, "He served as secretary for 10 months for Ronald Reagan. I don't think Ronald Reagan would be on the other side of a party that is led by folks such as Sen. Kerry and Sen. Schumer and Harry Reid and Tom Daschle and Teddy Kennedy."

The issue of Iraq most sharply divides the candidates, though their attire -- with Allen clad in trademark cowboy boots and Webb in combat boots -- is a visual sign of their differences.

On Iraq, Allen accuses Webb of being a part of the "I told you so caucus," an accusation Webb rejects.

"I think there a lot of people who don't want to be reminded that they were warned," Webb said. "And I think it's relevant when you talk about how you build national strategy and how you use the military to talk about how these decisions have been made. There should be some sort of an accountability."

The senator, son of Hall of Fame football coach George H. Allen, called that "Monday morning quarterbacking," telling chief ABC News Washington correspondent Stephanopoulos, "You can talk about 'I told you so' and that the information that the U.S. and our allies relied upon was bad. Ultimately, the results of all that would be Saddam Hussein would still be in one of his palaces today, rather than in prison. Zarqawi, who was running loose, actually, at that time in Iraq, would not be a dead martyr, which is what we'd rather have, rather than a live terrorist."