Indeed.

When Dan first announced his leave of absence I had the wishful thought that he intended to use it to consult with Illinois Republican leaders about running for the Senate.

OK, I didn't have the thought for very long, but think about this. Party organizations maintain their relevance by supporting credible candidates, even when the odds of winning are not wonderful; throwing in the towel right at the start is terribly demoralizing to the rank and file. The Republican Party in a state as large as Illinois surely has access to enough well-off people able to spare a couple of thousand dollars to support a non-embarrassing candidate, from Illinois, for so important an office as an US Senate seat. And such a candidate must exist -- maybe an academic, maybe a businessman or woman, perhaps a farmer. Relieve the candidate of every candidate's No. 1 reason for wishing he were doing something else -- the need to raise money himself -- and a credible candidacy that could lay the groundwork for future success is possible.

Instead the Illinois GOP has made itself a laughingstock, inviting to run on its ticket the biggest blowhard ever to send Republican eyeballs rolling skyward all the way from Maryland. There may be Republicans in Illinois who will vote a straight ticket out of habit, but why would they ever give money again to a party whose leadership shows such pathetic weakness and poor judgment?

You're too librul!

I agree with Matt. You're a communist.

Yeah, I get that a lot. You should see what I get from the other side when I write about things like the pro-corruption New Jersey Democratic Party fighting to avoid a special election this year to replace that state's unbelievably sleazy governor.

Hey, The Democratic Party of NJ got away with it when replacing Torch with Lautenburg...why wouldn't they try it again?

Siddharth...maybe you can come back and try your first champagne another time!

Really enjoyed reading your posts. Lots of thoughful commentary. There was a remarkable level of evenhanded, respectful responses to both your and Reihans posts. Not sure why, but it was very refreshing. Best of luck and thanks for taking the time.