Who's Alan Keyes?

Alan Keyes is a Republican from Maryland running for the presidency. Who knew? Apparently the Des Moines Register, which invited him to the debate. The Register was criticized by several politicians, analysts and journalists for allowing him to attend because he takes up time that could otherwise be dedicated to other candidates. Thus far, however, Keyes has proven to be an adept debater and excellent public speaker. Washburn is addressing Keyes, Tom Tancredo, and the other candidates ranked under 10 percent in the polls. However, some of these questions are presented to all the candidates down the line to answer within 15 to 30 seconds. At the beginning, Washburn said she'd be lenient on the time segments, but she later said, "We need to be a little snappier, gentlelmen," which elicited laughter from the candidates and the audience. We'll see who receives more attention when the questions become more in depth later on. Additionally, throughout the debate, each candidate will receive a 30-second free statement to tell viewers their most important issues and what they would do for citizens if elected president.