The Terrapin Card

Alan Keyes recent entry into the race to be a U.S. Senator from Illinois is like an old boxer coming out of retirement to challenge a brash young champion. But instead of Sonny Liston vs. Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali, "the Greatest of All-Time"), it's a twice-failed Presidential candidate, arch-conservative Keyes, challenging the Democrats other liberal golden boy, Barack Obama. The fact that Keyes lives in another state doesn't seem to matter, especially to Keyes, who once said:

"I deeply resent the destruction of federalism represented by Hillary Clinton's willingness to go into a state she doesn't even live in and pretend to represent people there. So I certainly wouldn't imitate it," . . . on Fox News in March 2000.

Yesterday, on CNN.com, Keyes drew a careful distinction between himself and Hillary:

"I have addressed the issue of the very deep differences between what I am doing and Hillary Clinton. She used the state of New York as a platform for her own personal ambition.

I had no thought of coming to Illinois to run until the people here in the state party decided there was a need. Just as people faced with a flood, or people in the case of 9/11, would call on folks, firefighters and others to help them deal with the crisis that they were faced with.

The people in Illinois have called on me to help deal with what they regard as a crisis. But from the point of view of my own personal principles, I believe in federalism. And I had to think this through based on my respect for the principle of state sovereignty."

Not all voters are impressed by Keyes' candidacy -- or the color of his skin -- as shown in interviews local African-Americans in The Southern. The ubiquitous "Kevin Clark, a community organizer for Attucks Community Service Inc., thinks Keyes was selected because top-level Republicans in Illinois are not willing to risk a defeat. 'They were looking for someone they could sacrifice,' Clark said. 'If Keyes loses, none of the Illinois Republicans lose anything. What is he going to do if he loses? Move back to Maryland?"

Kevin McDermott predicted in STLtoday that Keyes' candidacy will expose rift within GOP -- and it has -- but Keyes is an absolutely inspired choice to take on Obama.

Keyes doesn't guarantee victory (good thing!), just a good fight, and -- his residential "flip-flop" aside -- he'll offer an intelligent conservative counterpoint to Obama's eloquent and compassionate liberalism.

The conservative Illinois Leader thinks Obama has met his match.

Who knows? Maybe it'll be more like Dwight Muhammad Qawi vs. a young Evander Holyfield.