BY WESLEY P. HESTER

Just hours after Democrats launched a video blasting Republican U.S. Senate candidate George Allen using footage from last week’s debate, Allen’s campaign launched its own video attacking Kaine’s support of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.

The video, set with ominous music over a heart monitor heading toward flatline, features clips of Kaine from his time as Democratic National Committee chairman.

“I think health care reform is going to go down in history as one of the great achievements of this president,” he says in one. “The American people are going to be the big winners when this bill passes,” Kaine says in another clip. And finally: “I think this is going to be a great thing politically for the Dems.”

The video concludes with the script: “Tim Kaine. President Obama’s senator. Not Virginia’s.”

Dan Allen, a senior adviser for George Allen’s campaign, said the video is the start in a strong push in coming weeks to highlight the impacts of the health care bill on Virginia businesses and, of course, Kaine’s support fore the legislation. He added that the video will not be the last to use Kaine’s own words.

Kaine said following last week’s debate that he would not distance himself from the president or the policies he has supported in the past.

“Given the dismal reviews George Allen continues to receive for his debate performance, it’s not surprising that his campaign is trying to change the subject,” said Kaine campaign spokeswoman Brandi Hoffine. “But, no amount of negative advertising from the Allen campaign will change the fact that Allen admitted he helped cause our fiscal mess, has nothing but the same failed Washington policies to help ‘fix’ it, and can’t give voters a single reason to reelect him.”