Keyes and Obama - Oooh boy.

I'm watching the interesting interplay of politics down in Illinois this month as the Republicans pull a rabbit out of their hat and dump Alan Keyes on the unsuspecting Illinois constituency.

After the odd and spectacular fall of former (R) candidate for senate, Jack Ryan, the Republicans think that Keyes is their best chance. They had their heads so far up thier collective rear ends for so long that a man from out of state (who criticized Hillary Clinton for doing the same thing) is the best option they can find.

Ryan was a great candidate till his fall from grace. As much as I find his personal habits distasteful, it really was none of the business of that obviously liberal judge in California to release the divorce records to the press. That he did it over the objections of both Ryan and his ex-wife... especially since they have a kid who now probably has to deal with teasing by classmates about his dad's perversion, makes it suspect in my book.

But that's beside the point.

Keyes, as much as I might agree with him on his stand on the issues, seems to have the wonderful gift of shooting himself in the foot with such a politically incorrect mouth that the Illinois press is falling all over itself to cover it.

"Any press is good press" may be an adage that is true in sports, but in politics, when your main voting constiuency is in a city that tends to vote entirely democratic, using politically incorrect phrasiology may not be your best course of action.

Of course, no-one really expects Keyes to win down there. He's not even from Illinois, and it has been publicized so well in state and nationally that everyone knows it.

Meanwhile, Obama has the distinction of having been around for over a year, having an eloquent turn of phrase, and being one of the most radical politicians out there, short of folks like Al Gore and the like. He's a shoo in for the most part. With Chicago, a city with a history of liberalism and corruption going back 80 years, on his side, how the heck can he lose?

Guess we'll have to wait and see.