Can't win the nomination. In many fundamental ways unelectable. Not that he's not a power within the party, he just can't translate that power into votes.

An intelligent fellow and a forceful speaker, but this guy is frankly kind of a kook and got Custered by Obama.

He won't run. He just got swamped by Obama in his Senate run. But he'd lose terribly and make my life a heck of a lot easier, so PLEASE run Keyes, Republicans!

I'm Behind Keyes 100% if he gets nominated he will lose so badly and make my life easier.

Please, enough already!

I am not an Alan Keyes fan, and his words and actions over the last year have done nothig to change that. It wouldn't bother me in the least to see him fade into memory without holding another office, much less make another run for the presidency.

Too far to the right socially (ie, polarizing) to stand a chance. Views strike many as fundamentalist in nature. Very articulate but IMO ideas are not centerist enough even to win a Bush state like Florida. And his current public rift with his lesbian daughter isn't likely to help any, esp after his publicized comments about Cheney's daughter during the 2004 election.

You know, I'm from the Chicagoland area. I met Jack Ryan; sort of robotic, but not a really bad guy. This state party chairperson Judy Baar Topinka, who is a republican, digs up a bunch of crap on this guy and instead of replacing him with well known store chain owner Jim Oberweis, she brings in Alan Keyes from Maryland. He wouldn't have a chance!

nope. he's black. it won't float in the southern states.

I have followedand enjoyed Keyes for several years and have heard him speak, but some bolts must have broken off of his mother ship in the past year.

Will never happen. THe way Keyes got destroyed by Obama in the Senate race, he has no chance for the presidency. Although, Abe Lincoln lost continuously before finally becoming President.

A real nutjob and hypocrite. Jumped on Hillary for being a carpetbagger then did the same after saying he would never do that, said this is different though. Sure, Fun for a laugh.

Would make a great Constitution Party/other third party candidate - enough character to get noticed. But too outside the mainstream for the Republicans (though someone as outside the mainstream to the left as he is to the right would probably do very well in the Dem party, since they seem to want to lose every election.)

I think that Alan Keyes would be the perfect person to run on the Constitution Party ticket, but he'd be more suited for a Cabinet postition.

PBeavr is right. He just ran for an open Senate seat in Missouri and only received about 22% of the vote. The only republican candidate to fair so horrible a political defeat. Republicans would do themselvs a favor by pushing him out of the party like they did with Buchanan. They could run together with the now defunct Reform Party. Birds of a feather flock together. They might receive about .01% of the vote.

For publicity reasons, he might consider it.

As much as Republicans had to crow about in the 2004 elections, the Senate race by Keyes wasnt one of them. He lost the Illinois race by a whopping 43 percentage points (70% to 27% to Barrack Obama). Though he enjoys great public support from his fellow Republicans, privately many people find him too controversial. After his defeat, he said: I'm supposed to make a call that represents the congratulations toward that which I believe ultimately stands for and will stand for a culture evil enough to destroy the very soul and heart of my country? I will not make a false gesture. If he is trotted out again for the 2008 presidential primaries, it will only be done to make the Republican party look inclusive, not because he stands a snowball's chance.

Alan Keyes is very articulate and intelligent, but he doesn't stand a snowball's chance in hell for winning the Republican nomination, much less the Presidency. The Illinois Senate Race was an unmitigated disaster for the Republicans, thus destroying whatever credibility he had within the party. The problem is that in order to have an impact in politics, one must have the ability to gain popular support in order to effect the agenda you're pursuing. Keyes is a warrior, but he just doesn't have the ability to govern, which is by and large a game of horse trading. Keyes is way too doctrinare for that, the way he runs his campaigns would be the same way he governs! People perceive that, hence why he never gains any traction in his runs for office. However, I will say that Keyes makes a solid defense of the conservative viewpoint, with a strong emphasis on natural law within the context of traditional constitutionalism. He's a force to be reckoned with in an intellectual debate, but that just doesn't connect over to electoral success in politics.

I think he got 3 votes in Illinois. He'd be fun to watch in the debates but would probably only garner 16 votes nationally- not nearly enough. LOL

irish nailed it here. Look for Alan to land a mid-level job in the Bush second term, elevating his profile some. He is too conservative, too religious and too intellectually austere to run for and win elected office. A great man who should not be a candidate again but who should be more of a leader in the conservative wing of the republican party.

My sense is that seeing as he was annihilated in the Illinois senate race, he may not have what it takes to win a Republican nomination.

I would love to see Alan get in, but I don't think he could pull it off!