Alan Keyes

Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle

Alan Keyes, a conservative commentator from Maryland, probably won't be able to call Sen. Hillary Clinton for advice on planning a listening tour in Illinois, where he recently entered the Senate race.

Four years ago, he was busy bashing her for seeking a Senate seat in a state she'd never lived in and calling her candidacy a "destruction of federalism." Yet Keyes has foolishly agreed to parachute into Illinois to oppose rising Democratic star Barak Obama.

His out-of-state candidacy isn't the problem. Though this page expressed concern about Hillary Clinton's initial inexperience with matters of New York, she has worked hard to understand the state's needs and represents New York well.

As a former ambassador to the United Nations, a former staff member of the National Security Council and a former Republican presidential candidate, Keyes is equipped to be a national leader.

But his impressive credentials should have led him to turn down a candidacy this demeaning. ...