John Podhoretz has this to say about former Bush administration bigwig / petty thief Claude Allen on The Corner:

CLAUDE ALLEN [John Podhoretz]
I wrote a book about the Bush White House. I know the names of many people who worked in the Bush White House. I’ve read every story there is to read about the Bush White House. I’ve been a political journalist for almost a quarter century, worked in a Republican administration, and gone to many right-wing parties. So let me say this about accused thief and former White House policy bigshot Claude Allen:

WHO?

I’ll take John’s word that he’s never heard of Allen. I hadn’t until recently, either (though I’m only a little more than a quarter-century old). But this guy was a big deal to social conservatives.

When I talked to Paul Weyrich recently for my book (it was sometime in mid-February), he was very distressed about Allen’s having left. He called him a very effective advocate for the religious right — and someone they would miss greatly.

Hey, weird things happen. I don’t consider the Claude Allen thing even a blip on the radar as far as the GOP’s problems. But he was important to certain segments of the party.