And you thought the Republican field was just a bunch of boring white guys who were a rehash of tired old Reagan/Bush and Bush II talking points or whose conservative creds were in doubt...Giuliani and his serial marriages, his support of gay rights, Mitt Romney, who's rarely gone a week without changing his position on something, or Fred Thompson, who's about to become the corporate spokesman for Sominex. Obviously they weren't reaching out to the full dimension of the Republican base; the bull-goose loony religious nuts and the token nod to the minorities. Well, guess what; they now have a candidate who can reach out to the both the real Republican base -- the nutjob wing, and he's black. Yep: Alan Keyes is back.
Keyes told Janet Parshall, host of a nationally syndicated radio show, that he's "unmoved" by the lack of moral courage shown by the other candidates, among whom he sees no standout who articulates the "key kernel of truth that must, with courage, be presented to our people."Mr. Keyes, once an ambassador in the Reagan administration, ran for president in 1996 and 2000, and in 2004 barged his way into Illinois to run as the last-minute sub in the Senate race against Barack Obama when the GOP nominee had to drop out because of a messy divorce. In case you've forgotten, Steve Benen at The Carpetbagger Report has a reminder of some of Mr. Keyes's more interesting statements:
He added, "The one thing I've always been called to do is to raise the standard... of our allegiance to God and His authority that has been the foundation stone of our nation's life"--and he decried the lack of "forthright, clear, and clarion declaration" from the other candidates concerning this issue.
[...]
As a prelude to running, prior to making up his mind to announce, Keyes has been writing a series of essays on the 2008 election titled "The Crisis of the Republic"--published at RenewAmerica and disseminated by several other outlets. A common theme of the articles is the need to restore personal sovereignty that is based in religious premises and self-discipline, if American society is to survive in liberty.
* upon earning his GOP Senate nomination in 2004, announced, “The victory is for God.”In other words, he's a full-fledged whack job.
* said a Republican senator who admitted to listening to Nine Inch Nails was “aiding and abetting cultural murder.”
* likened his Senate opponent to a “terrorist” because of his positions on abortion.
* said that Vice President Dick Cheney’s daughter is participating in “selfish hedonism” because she is a lesbian.
The only saving grace he will provide for the rest of the GOP field is that he will make even loons like Tom Tancredo look like a moderate by comparison.
Update: Josh Marshall wins the prize for the best line: "Alan Keyes throws his straight jacket into the ring."
