The outsider

I've heard pained explanations of misbegotten youth before, but U.S. Sen. George Allen's attempt to dismiss his tattered love affair with Confederate imagery takes top prize --

"I was a maverick, I was anti-establishment ... I didn't fit in."

--From MSNBC's "Hardball."

Yeah, it ain't easy making friends when you're the frat boy son of a famous NFL football coach. Must've been real lonely for him. Who can blame young George for seeking comfort from the Stars and Bars?