Amidst all the talk about Jack Ryan and Seven-o-Nine and Mike Ditka, the craven stupidity of the Illinois GOP has been obscured.

It looks like they'd rather cede the race for Senate to the Democrats than nominate someone who's - horror of all horrors - opposed to illegal immigration:

The Illinois Republican Party took another body blow Thursday, as the candidate considered the favorite by a number of GOP leaders dropped out of the running to replace U.S. Senate nominee Jack Ryan.

State Sen. Steve Rauschenberger said his late entry into the race would have made it nearly impossible to raise the money required to compete effectively against Democrat Barack Obama...

Aurora dairy owner Jim Oberweis argues that his second-place primary finish makes him the "logical" choice.

But many Republicans remain uneasy over TV commercials Oberweis ran during the primary attacking President Bush's immigration reform plans. Oberweis insists he only opposed illegal immigration, but the ads drew fire from immigrant groups and Republicans alike.

"There is a group in the party which obviously is enamored with Mr. Oberweis because he finished second," said DuPage County GOP Chairman Kirk Dillard. "[But] an Oberweis candidacy would present unique problems when it comes to immigration and race and ethnicity, [problems] which I'm not sure we want to take on at this time."

After Oberweis, the remaining 10 names on the list are not exactly household names...

Awww, they're "uneasy..."

See:
Jim Oberweis And The Illinois Senate Race
Oberweis ads rile immigrant groups
Survivor Tribal Council snuffs out fourth torch [Oberweis won't be endorsed by paper]
Tancredo endorses Oberweis for (R) Ill Senate
Congressman helps Oberweis push immigration reform
Primary also-rans in line for ballot spot
GOP told thanks, but no thanks [by Rauschenberger].

Most importantly, contact the IL GOP and let them know what you think:

Judy Baar Topinka, Chairman of the IL GOP:
chairman@ilgop.org
Chicago Office
32 W. Randolph, Suite 1700,
Chicago, IL 60601-3405
Phone: 312/201-9000
Fax: 312/201-1271

(To prep you for your phone call, take a look at her book: 'Here We Dough Again'. Oh boy.)