Alan Keyes Picked to Run for Senate in Illinois Violating Federalist Principles

The Illinois Republican Party in a bid that speaks volumes about the level of desperation to field any candidate to run against the Democratic Party’s golden child Barack Obama, in the upcoming November general election, picked arch-conservative Alan Keyes from (gasp) the state of Maryland late last night! Keyes, if he decided to run, would challenge Obama for Illinois’s soon to be vacant junior U.S. Senate seat.

First of all it is extremely doubtful that Keyes—who has made two failed bids for the Whitehouse and advocates replacing income tax with a national sales tax among other far-fetched ideas—has any chance at winning in Illinois, a state firmly in the blue. Second, I find it amusing and very disingenuous—not to mention exceedingly hypocritical of Mr. Keyes to even consider to possibility of running in a state he is not a resident of. After all, he heaped nothing but scorn on Hillary Clinton when she ran for the open New York Senate state seat back in 2000. Said Keyes on Fox News (that bastion of fair, unbiased, and balanced reporting) on March 17, 2000,

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.

However, Mr. Keyes, seems to believe that it might be okay him to represent the people of Illinois, (I guess Federalism is no longer in danger) even though it might not be a good idea. Keyes stated yesterday,

I do not take it for granted that it's a good idea to parachute into a state and go into a Senate race…[a]s a matter of principle, I don't think it's a good idea.

He went on to state,

I think they have thrown down a gauntlet of national challenge to the Republican Party of the state of Illinois.

Are we being subjected to more Republican do as I say and not as I do leadership? Is it okay to violate Federalism in the name of Republican Party prestige and pride?