contrapositive

ALLEN FOLLOW-UP Washington Jewish Week asks the question that the gentile press is apparently afraid to touch:

We know that Sen. George Allen's mother is French-Tunisian, but [Forward writer] E.J. Kessler says that the Virginia Republican's mother was born Jewish.

A campaign spokesperson, however, tells us that Allen's mom "is of French, Italian and some Spanish descent, but we're not aware of any Jewish ancestry in her background."

[...]

The campaign spokesperson, Dick Wadhams, told WJW that Etty Allen was "raised in a Christian home." He didn't know what denomination.

It's helpful, I suppose, to get this denial on the record. But the denial itself raises more questions than it answers.

Among them: Now that Senator Allen (R-VA) has been confronted with evidence of his Jewish ancestry, what's his reaction? Does he accept the evidence?

More to the point: Why has Allen avoided speaking to the issue thus far? What downside could there possibly be to acknowledging that he has Jewish roots?