Does George Allen have a "race problem"?

Andrew Sullivan, the patron saint of me-o-cons*, thinks that George Allen of Virginia - former Governor, current U.S. Senator, and probable candidate for President - may have a race problem. Allen's offense? According to Sullivan:

The New Republic's forthcoming cover-story, by Ryan Lizza, will reveal something new about Republican senator and potential GOP presidential candidate George Allen. His interest in the Confederate flag goes back much further than he has ever admitted. In fact, he is wearing a Confederate flag pin in his Palos Verdes, California high school yearbook.

*Me-o-cons - \'mee-oh-cons\ n. Those who believe their own political ideology to be a complete, exclusive representation of conservative principle, and who generally prefer impulse and sentiment over tradition and reason as a basis for their views.

Justin at Southern Appeal commented on Lizza's TNR article yesterday, eliciting a good discussion from SA readers. Check it out.