In a campaign that for the last month had been reduced to floating crosses, haircuts, quick quips, and questions like “What would Jesus do,” it is sad that it takes a tragic event of international proportions to remind voters and pundits alike of the one issue that hovers over the entire presidency- the fact that we are at war. It says a great deal about the sorry state of affairs and attention spans that the next Commander in Chief will have to inherit an unholy mess in the Middle East, while for the last few months, the voting public and pundits have not paid attention to it.

Pundits need to get over religion, hairdos, stupid questions from youtube debates, and any of the other garbage that generation Y has bestowed upon us, and wisen up. The safety of our country and our men and women in combat depend on it. We, as voters, owe them that much. Everything else becomes secondary when it comes to the matters of life and death. I’m not talking about the lives of the unborn here, for that is another debate for another time. We won’t be able to argue over pro-life credentials if we don’t have people to make babies. That might be an over exaggeration, but you get the point. All the other issues should still take a back seat when it comes to the safety of our nation and its citizens. This is one of the defining moments of the 21st century, and I hope the GOP nominee, whoever it may be, is ready to deal with that.

From the moment they take office, they will have to make decisions with the lives of our troops at stake. There won’t be time to ponder the decisions, wait for reports, dig through different suggestions; they must be able to come into the presidency with the ability to make choices of monumental consequences without second guessing, regrets, or time to change their mind.

That time is coming, and it is up to the voters, the pundits, and the nominees to ensure that whoever the candidate is, they are willing, able, and fully prepared to take that responsibility on their shoulders. This isn’t a criticism of any one candidate, but hopefully a wakeup call to those who need to get their priorities in order.

While most wish the number of participants in GOP debates would shrink, the Des Moines Register sponsored debate next week will feature all the regular candidates, plus Alan Keyes.

This comes from Salon, so take that for what it’s worth:

Key conservative and religious leaders will continue discussing a mass defection from the Republican Party in a private meeting at a Washington hotel Saturday afternoon, just hours after the pro-choice presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani speaks before thousands of pro-life voters.The unnamed group of about 50 people first met in late September in Salt Lake City, sending shivers through the Republican establishment by adopting a resolution to consider a third-party candidate if Republicans nominate someone like Giuliani. “If the major political parties decide to abandon conservative principles, the cohesion of pro-family advocates will be all too apparent in 2008,” warned Dr. James Dobson, of Focus on the Family, in a published article after the meeting.

In addition to Dobson, the September meeting was attended by the Family Research Council president Tony Perkins, conservative activist Richard Viguerie and former presidential candidate Gary Bauer, who called in by phone. Before the meeting ended, the group agreed to meet again this weekend at the Hilton Washington Hotel, where thousands of social conservatives are expected to gather for a “Values Voter Summit” beginning Thursday.

“There will be further exploration of what is to be done,” said Howard Phillips, the president of the Conservative Caucus, who participated in the Salt Lake meeting. “And there will be some discussion of who would be a viable independent candidate.”

Conservative circles have been buzzing for weeks about the possibility of a third-party bid, which remains a heavily disputed idea even among religious conservatives. On Wednesday, longtime conservative leader Paul Weyrich, president of the Free Congress Foundation, published a column laying out three requirements for a successful third-party bid: major defections of elected officials from the Republican Party, the financial backing of an independently wealthy individual, and the support of a major news organization, like the Fox News Channel or the Wall Street Journal. “If the walkout of Republicans grassroots were dramatic enough and if it enticed major figures to join, which in turn caused millionaires to follow along and caused major media continually to provide favorable treatment, a third party could work,” Weyrich argued in the article.

Back during the beginning of the month, I speculated on a couple of the consequences of a third party mutiny to deny Rudy the presidency were he to win the nomination:

[T]here is an equal, if not more, possibility that non-social conservatives become so upset that Rudy was basically the victim of fratricide that there’s a rebellion against social conservatives immediately following the election.

Another problem, potentially even more disastrous, is what happens if SoCons do organize a third party effort against Rudy and he manages to still win the election. Much like how Joe Lieberman was freed from the normal constraints on Senate Democrats (he votes with Republicans on almost all matters related to the GWOT) after fending off Ned Lamont and the netroots, it’s highly likely that Rudy wouldn’t go out of his way to advocate for SoCon policies. Such a scenario would essentially render their movement impotent.

Considering these scenarios and the backlash that the idea has received from the blogosphere, it seemed likely that this was all talk and that the leaders of this mutiny would back down. But over the past 3 weeks, several polls have shown that anywhere from 12% to 27% of Republicans will vote for a third party were Giuliani to make it through the primaries. Now comes word that discussions and planning are still moving forward.

Dobson has laid down the gauntlet. If he backs down now, he loses a lot of face among his followers. It’s fascinating because polls show that Giuliani does pretty well with the rank and file SoCons. This could have the effect of splitting the SoCon elites from their base (in much the same way the GOP split over immigration this summer). At the same time, Mitt Romney is the only one that Dobson has not given the kiss of death to. Add to that his recent success with securing backing by prominent SoCon leaders, you could end up with the reverse of the Giuliani dilemma, Romney attracting support from the elites but turning off the rank and file.

There is still time for a Dobson-Giuliani summit in which they go into a room and Dobson comes out saying that Giuliani “shares his values” and that after much discussion, Giuliani is an acceptable nominee. The problem with this scenario is that Giuliani is not the type of person who would go out of his way to make nice with Dobson. This could very quickly turn into a battle to see who blinks first.

There are still a lot of unresolved questions though: Who will the third party candidate be? Was this story leaked by someone within the “group of 50″ who is doesn’t back the effort? Was it leaked by someone who does support the effort and is using it to cast a pall over Giuliani’s speech of Saturday? Of all the outlets, why leak it to a left-wing Internet newspaper? Given his rising prominence, why aren’t Dobson, Viguerie, and Weyrich backing Huckabee (as Dave rightly pointed out earlier, he’s a Bush Republican when it comes to government)?

If nothing else, there’s always Alan Keyes.

Alan Keyes will be there!

Ohio Christian Alliance to Host Presidential Candidates on NewsTalkColumbus.com

— The Ohio Christian Alliance, in conjunction with www.newstalkcolumbus.com and the Christian Alliance chapters of Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, and Pennsylvania will host a Presidential Candidate Forum web broadcast over the Internet at www.newstalkcolumbus.com on Thursday, October 11, from 7:00 — 9:00 p.m. EST. Presidential candidates participating in this forum are Kansas Senator Sam Brownback, former Ambassador Alan Keyes, and former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson. All Presidential candidates were invited to participate.

Chris Long, President of the Ohio Christian Alliance, states, “This Presidential Candidate Forum provides a unique opportunity for Values Voters to hear from the candidates in their own words their positions on important social/moral issues. What we have noticed in a number of Presidential candidate forums is that questions being asked are offbeat and off the subject of the social/moral issues that are in most cases the deciding factor for voters. What has been frustrating thus far in the Presidential campaign is the lack of opportunity for the candidates to answer questions regarding abortion, traditional marriage, stem cell research, and immigration. We hope to provide that opportunity with this special web broadcast.”

After the interviews, join Chris Long, Iowa Christian Alliance director Steve Scheffler, and Georgia Christian Alliance director Sadie Fields for an interactive roundtable discussion.

Alan Keyes has officially joined the race for the 2008 Republican nomination.

On Friday, Sept. 14, Alan Keyes filed a Statement of Candidacy (Form 2) with the Federal Election Commission - -thus officially announcing as a Republican candidate for President of the United States.Keyes told Janet Parshall, host of a nationally syndicated radio show, that he’s “unmoved” by the lack of moral courage shown by the other candidates, among whom he sees no standout who articulates the “key kernel of truth that must, with courage, be presented to our people.”

He added, “The one thing I’ve always been called to do is to raise the standard . . . of our allegiance to God and His authority that has been the foundation stone of our nation’s life” - -and he decried the lack of “forthright, clear, and clarion declaration” from the other candidates concerning this issue.

As a result, Keyes said, “We’re putting together an effort that’s not going to be like anything before, because it’s going to be entirely based on citizen action. We’re going to be challenging people to take a pledge for America’s revival,” and elevate them from spectators in the political arena to participants.

The former Reagan diplomat ran previously for president in 1996 and 2000. During the 1996 race, he was widely credited with forcing abortion to the center of public policy debate. In 2000, he was acknowledged by commentators at Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN as the winner of the Republican presidential primary debates. In that election, he continued his prior focus on America’s moral crisis, and also made abolishing the income tax a serious question for policy-makers.

This election cycle, Keyes has already significantly influenced the debate, according to some observers, who note that at least a few of the GOP candidates appear intent on imitating some of Keyes’ well-known positions, in an effort to woo moral conservatives - -without which no Republican is likely to win in the general election.

As a prelude to running, prior to making up his mind to announce, Keyes has been writing a series of essays on the 2008 election titled “The Crisis of the Republic” - -published at RenewAmerica and disseminated by several other outlets. A common theme of the articles is the need to restore personal sovereignty that is based in religious premises and self-discipline, if American society is to survive in liberty.

Keyes said he plans to join the Values Voter Presidential Debate Sept. 17 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Keyes’ official site is alankeyes.com

I’m not talking about Thompson, as it’s now a given that he’s in, but there’s someone else that wants to spoil the GOP party and I’m not talking about the Zarwell guy either…

Several Republican presidential hopefuls have committed to be in the Mountain State for the West Virginia Republican Presidential Convention.

A spokesman for the West Virginia GOP says 10 candidates have registered for their February convention.

Among those attending will be Sam Brownback, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter, Alan Keyes, John McCain, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, and Gene Zarwell.

Let the countdown begin…

…and it ain’t Thompson. Word is it’s Keyes. AUGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Keyes is undoubtedly the most articulate nut to come to the GOP. While he is smart and makes a good case the guy has the political skill of paper weight.

Jason’s prediction: If Alan Keyes enters the race it will be as one sent to destroy Romney. The guy hates Romney. He is hand and glove with MassResistance.

Jason’s prediction #2: Romney will literally wipe the floor with Alan. Alan destroyed the GOP in IL by making a fool out of the party with his half-brained carpetbagger run. Alan is articulate and smart, but fringy enough to erase any and all potential positives he could offer. Alan has no idea of the case law he spouts concerning Goodrich. It should actually be pretty fun. Undoubtedly he will attract some of the real fringy uber-conservatives, but mostly he will be there to be Romney’s pebble in the shoe.

An interesting, very pro-Giuliani piece appears on Alan Keyes’ Renew America site touting Rudy’s presidential chances:

President Giuliani? It’s a Good Bet

By now, most people around politics know that former New York Republican Mayor Rudy Giuliani would be seeking the nomination for president of the United States.

A recent column by Washington’s premiere political pundit, Robert Novak, only underlines the obvious: The question is not if Giuliani runs, but when he openly declares that he is running. Though Novak does not say when, I would speculate that Giuliani will announce by the end of this year.

What’s worth noting here is that the battle for the 2008 presidency will be fought by two well-known political figures who both share the non-too-complimentary appellation of “RINO,” or “Republican in name only.”

Though Giuliani is considered by conservative GOP insiders as too socially liberal to capture the support of the hard-core right of the party, this writer believes otherwise.

The primary contest that will eventually come down between Sen. John McCain and Giuliani will be fought on a number of fronts.

On the issues themselves, McCain and Giuliani will both have their problems.

But McCain’s positions and past votes within the Senate ‘ of which Giuliani has none to worry over ‘ will make it harder for him to claim solid platform-Republican credentials, much less conservative ones. McCain authored the Campaign Finance Reform bill, which to many in the GOP is a travesty against free speech. McCain has consistently voted against nearly all tax reform or tax cut programs proffered by the Bush administration.

McCain has also embraced the president’s ill-advised immigration reform plan, or as most call it, “amnesty-lite.” Amusingly, you now see McCain shifting his positions on some of these issues ‘ like the immigration bill ‘ as the campaign for 2008 draws ever near. But that is what a voting record is for; it never lets the advancement of time or events forget those votes.

I believe that Giuliani will modify his position on all these issues. He will do what so many have done before him regarding these issues, and that is to stress the commonality that he shares with the base ‘ like being against gay marriage ‘ a maybe even reverse on a key issue, like partial-birth abortion.

Giuliani will campaign on the events of 9/11 and showcase his well-documented leadership, the same thing that has sustained Bush through nearly all else in his presidency. McCain will claim that he has stood fast with Bush since 9/11, and so he has.

But at the end of the day, the GOP elephant never forgets. The party faithful will find it difficult to elect the maverick senator from Arizona, instead opting for the stalwart and iron-willed mayor from New York, who helped show a nation the way back into the light of a new day when the chaotic and nightmarish darkness of 9/11 threatened to bring America to its knees.

Still not convinced that Rudy can win over So-Cons?