August 15, 2004

CLIP, ALAN KEYES CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCEMENT: "It just seemed wrong that somebody with his record should kind of waltz into the United States Senate unopposed."

WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Republican activist Alan Keyes announcing, just last week, his decision to run for the U.S. Senate seat in Illinois. He's challenging the Democratic Senate candidate, Barack Obama.

Joining us now from Chicago is Alan Keyes. Mr. Keyes, welcome back to Late Edition. Thanks very much for joining us.

We had invited Barack Obama to join us, as well. Unfortunately, he couldn't do it during this timeslot--but he was on ABC with George Stephanopoulos earlier today. Among other things, he said this of your challenge to him. Listen to what he said:

CLIP, THIS WEEK WITH GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS:

BARACK OBAMA: "I think that their sense was that none of the local electeds could win the race, and that Mr. Keyes might not be able to win the race, but at least could, um, ah . . ."

STEPHANOPOULOS: "Bloody you up?"

OBAMA: "Bloody me up a little bit before I got to Washington. Now, having said that, I think that, you know, he's not somebody we take lightly."

BLITZER: All right. Is that your mission, knowing--or at least assuming, as a lot of people do--that you can't win? Is it your mission to simply "bloody up" this rising star in the Democratic Party?

ALAN KEYES: I don't think he's a rising star. I think he's actually a fading phony. I think that there's no correspondence with what he said at the Democratic National Convention and his actual record. And the fact that he is somebody who totally rejects the founding principles of this country, who does not believe that we are all created equal, who takes stands on issues like abortion that are shocking to the conscience even of Democrats. He's willing to allow living children who are fully born to be set aside to die like garbage--I mean, that kind of deep extremism, which didn't come through in his DNC speech, is what characterizes him.

And I'm not in this race to prove some stupid, silly political point. I'm in it because there is a deep challenge of principle involved in not letting somebody who has rejected the statesmanship of Lincoln represent the state of Lincoln.

And when that challenge was placed before me by Illinois Republicans, I concluded at the end of the day that my principles did not permit me to say no.

BLITZER: He says you're totally out of sync with mainstream America. Listen to what else he said in that interview on ABC earlier today:

CLIP, THIS WEEK WITH GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS:

OBAMA: ". . . God doesn't speak to me alone, and that the only way that I could live effectively with people who have different beliefs and different faiths is if we have a civil society that is, in fact, civil. And, you know, that's--really is a central difference between myself and Mr. Keyes. On a lot of these issues, whether it's abortion or gay rights, you know, Mr. Keyes, I think, feels the certainty of a prophet--you know, somebody who's got a direct line into what God thinks."

BLITZER: All right. Do you want to respond to that?

KEYES: See, I think that shows his ignorance, even of the basis for this republic. I have never based my public and political views on any claim to "speak for God." But I do claim that we have the right to read the founding principles of this country, which state very clearly: "All men are created equal and endowed by their Creator"--not by me, not by you, not by the president, not by the Constitution, but by their Creator--with their unalienable rights.

That means that it's not a woman's choice that establishes the right to life of a child, it is the Creator--and that's not Alan Keyes saying it. I know perhaps Mr. Obama's not as familiar with that tradition as someone like myself, who's spent his whole life thinking about how the conscience shaped by that tradition helped to get rid of slavery, helped to reform this nation of segregation and advance civil rights.

This is very important to somebody who is a descendent of slaves. It doesn't seem as important to him, and that may be why he doesn't understand it.

BLITZER: Why should people in Illinois elect you? You've never lived in Illinois, as far as I can tell, and you've been critical of others--so-called carpetbaggers--who have gone into states in which they didn't live in order to try to get elected, Hillary Rodham Clinton being an example. You said in March of 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."

A lot of people think you're doing exactly that right now.

KEYES: Well, that's because a lot of people aren't thinking through what federalism really means.

But the state motto in Illinois makes it clear, it has two components: "state sovereignty" and "national union."

To sacrifice respect for state sovereignty and true representational integrity for the sake of personal ambition and a personal agenda, as Hillary Rodham Clinton did, is wrong. I deeply condemn it.

But to be called by the Illinois state party to come and defend the principles of our national union against someone who, on a whole range of issues, rejects those principles is, in fact, not only to act in the interest of federalism, it is to act in the deep interest of the people of Illinois who share with me a commitment to those principles. We are of one community when it comes to our commitment to those things which are the foundation of the American way of life. I know it, because I've been in and out of Illinois many times over the years to work with people who share that deep commitment.

BLITZER: Have you and your family taken up residency in Illinois?

KEYES: We have, indeed. I have an apartment now over at Garfield Street in Cal City, and we have camped out a little bit. Obviously, we're just in the starting stages, and as I have said many times, I think that may be a temporary address for a few months. That often happens when you first move into a state. My wife and I will consult about what we're going to do, but we'll see. The neighbors are great. We just attended Mass there for the first time this morning, and it's a wonderful, spectacularly beautiful church that I think you only find in some of the older suburbs in America now, and we deeply and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

BLITZER: If you lose, will you come back to Maryland, or stay in Illinois?

KEYES: Well, I think we're going to be forming ties here. And the ties that are forged in the heat of an important battle of community deeply confirm the community of heart and principle that's involved--and I'm sure our hearts will follow those principles which are working with the people in this state in order to achieve the outcome.

But to tell you the truth, I don't have to worry about it. The only thing my home in Maryland now gives me is a head start--because, after I get elected to the Senate, unlike some folks, I won't have to look around for real estate when I get there.

BLITZER: Alan Keyes, thanks very much for joining us.