If the Republican primaries were a game of musical chairs, it would seem that there are six seats and seven players ready for the game to begin. Ambassador Alan Keyes would make it an even field of eight vying for seven chairs.

Alan Keyes stepped up to the plate after receiving a desperate plea from the Republican Party to challenge Barack Obama in the 2004 Illinois Senate race. He had less than three months to go from nothing until the general election. I wish they had not done that to the Ambassador in retrospect, but he still managed to obtain a respectable 1.3 million votes.

This morning I puttered around on the Keyes campaign website and came away somewhat astonished. If there were reason to publish all of my thoughts concerning the various issues, I think that I could take most of Alan's and simply put my own name on them. Perhaps this field of Republican candidates is not so bland after all.

Alan Keyes ought to be in the game and in serious consideration by conservatives everywhere. From what I understand, he still needs help securing spots on various state ballots, so if you want to measure the other candidates with a man who, in my opinion, seems to be a reasonably complete package, then I think we should at least help him get in the game.

The others all have "cons" to go along with their conservatism and palatability, and indeed, they all have some "pros" as well. Let us take a quick run-through.

Senator McCain seems to have a good handle on defense and the war, except for his understandable sensitivity to the rough handling of certain prisoners. I only wish he would remember that he was a "good-guy" when he was a prisoner, as opposed to the "bad-guys" from whom we need information. Senator McCain also has trouble knowing who the enemy is in the Senate, from time to time. It's the liberals John… stay away from them!

Mike Huckabee seems to be on my page regarding abortion, marriage, and matters of faith. To hear various pundits express an icky-fit about whether a cross intentionally was placed in his ad, just about makes me break out in hives. The "thing" was indeed a bookshelf. Huckabee would likely swear that he is not a woman too, even though he probably has man boobs. Perhaps he should be crucified for that as well. On the down side, Mike Huckabee seems to have a problem, knowing when and how best to criticize a sitting President. That shows a lack of judgment that I would expect from the loony left.

Duncan Hunter seems to be a fine fellow, but true or false, I get the impression that he is driven by a single issue, and that would be illegal immigration. There is just so much more on our plate than that, and I need to feel that my President has his hands on all the knobs.

Mitt Romney really makes you feel good while watching him speak. He is very articulate, well groomed, and obviously cool under fire. I really do not believe his Mormonism would be a problem, but the purity of his conservative blood might. The fact that under his watch, same-sex marriage flared up out of control in his state makes me cringe. Just the idea that the most liberal state in the Union could tolerate him enough to elect him Governor… makes me clinch my…. oh, you know what I mean. Mitt may be a little bit too smooth to earn my trust.

Fred Thompson is one of my favorites. He speaks with authority, and what he says sounds well reasoned and generally wise. Unfortunately, he comes across as if his fire is a bit too regulated. Up against a bile-spitting democrat contender, who will cover their ineptitude with bald-faced lies, I am not certain Fred will sell as well as he needs to. I also would like to see Fred take a more direct stand on fixing the abortion affliction.

Ron Paul has many good things to say, and conservative may be hard-pressed to disagree with too much of it. Unfortunately, he does not seem to comprehend the idea that in this modern day and age, it is extremely important that we make our defensive stand well away from our shores. Ron also seems to have attracted certain folks to his camp, such as those who are incensed that the likes of Alan Keyes, Barack Obama, and Joe Lieberman are allowed to hold public office.

Rudy Giuliani has proven to be an effective leader. You cannot deny that he did a great job cleaning up New York, making it a better place to live and work. He also did a good job after the terrorist attacks, and whether you like him or not, he put a good hard face on the city for the world to see. There is just a lot of liberal social baggage on his cart though, and I do not want my President to be fighting me on moral principles.

I am not stumping for Alan Keyes, despite what you may surmise from this article, but from what I know of the man, conservatives should give him a good look. I have seen little discussion of his candidacy; rather, there was great surprise that he even participated in the recent Iowa debate.

I hope you will check out Alan Keyes and his stand on the issues here: http://www.alankeyes.com/issues.php . After doing so, please fill me in regarding any "cons" that should make me look unfavorably on Ambassador Keyes. That said, if you tell me it is because he is black, or because he is too Christian, I will vigorously pray that your guardian angel should give you a swift kick in the tail pipe.