Former Republican vice-presidential nominee and bane of liberals everywhere Sarah Palin is coming to Illinois this weekend — but it's not to endorse Mark Kirk.
Palin booked a speaking gig with a community center in Washington, Ill., a town of about 14,000 near Peoria. She'll help raise money for a parking lot, youth scholarships and other projects.
Apparently, the other projects don't include the campaign for Kirk, the state's Republican U.S. Senate candidate.
I asked his campaign spokeswoman, Kirsten Kukowski, if he's getting together with Palin during her visit.
"No, he does not have anything planned," Kukowski told me. She said she didn't know whether Kirk still sought her endorsement.
Last year, Kirk stepped on a publicity landmine when he asked for Palin's support in a memo to one of her operatives. It was an ironic, and critics say opportunistic, request since Kirk had previously told media he would not have picked her as his vice-presidential nominee.
Now, Democrats are using Palin's visit, her second public appearance in Illinois since an Oprah show taping in November, as an opportunity to ding Kirk yet again. Democrat Alexi Giannoulias' campaign blasted an e-mail earlier today, asking, "any weekend plans, Congressman Kirk?"
"Congressman Kirk seems confused," campaign spokesman Matt McGrath wrote, "cheering Governor Palin's selection as Republican vice presidential nominee, then jumping ship after her embarrassing performances, only then to plead for her personal endorsement for his Senate campaign.
"Congressman Kirk owes the people of Illinois a clear explanation of where he stands when it comes to the former governor."
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady, for his part, didn't hesitate to clarify his position on Palin.
"I'm looking for the endorsement from everybody, including Sarah Palin," Brady told the Bloomington Pantagraph. "We think this is a game of addition."