I’m back after almost a month in the forest, so I’m catching up. Regarding the Illinois race, forget about carpetbagging or Mike Ditka or why Rep.’s Hyde or Crane didn’t run — after Ryan dropped out, why didn’t the state party just turn to the candidate who came in second in the primary, Jim Oberweis? Because he was a vocal proponent of enforcing the immmigration law, that’s why — Denny Hastert said so explicitly in an interview published Sunday. The state and national parties’ spinelessness on immigration guarantees that Republican will lose this seat and may well end up costing the GOP control of the Senate — so much for the political benefits of supporting open borders.