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Illinois conservative Republicans have a national dilemma mounting right before their eyes. The Hill wrote yesterday that the GOP's Mark Kirk is part of an effort to weaken conservative influence in the U.S. Senate

ILLINOIS REVIEW Crossroads of the Conservative Community Tuesday, July 06, 2010 Is Kirk trying to be a skunk at the GOP picnic? The Illinois Republican statewide slate has been pushing unity and cohesiveness for the last couple of months, and all except for one seems to be getting the script down. Why in the world would GOP U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk use a press conference today to antagonize those who could get him downstate votes and bridge the huge chasm between conservative Republicans and liberal Gold Coasters?  Unbelievably in one fell swoop, Kirk blasted his own party's top two ballot...

NORTHBROOK — Republican Senate candidate Mark Kirk publicly apologized Tuesday for being “careless” in describing his military service and background, after a series of embellishments were revealed that could threaten his bid for President Barack Obama’s former seat. As Kirk apologized, however, he also acknowledged something his campaign had flatly denied just two weeks ago.

Opinion: Mark Kirk and the Illinois Curse by Steve Chapman Updated: 6:4 PM 6/10/2010 Multiple Page View Running for Congress in 2000, Mark Kirk told a Chicago Tribune reporter he had almost drowned in Lake Michigan as a teenager. "I should be at the bottom of that lake, but I was given a rare gift of a second life," he confided. "And to be given a second chance means it has to mean something. For me, that means making a difference through public service, and it all comes from the lake." This brought to mind what Oscar Wilde said...

Questions raised about Kirk's teaching record June 17, 2010 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- New questions are emerging about a candidate's record in the race for the U.S. Senate. First Mark Kirk was questioned about the accuracy of his military record. Now there are questions about what Kirk says about his teaching career. Did Mark Kirk misremember, exaggerate or lie when he talked about a teaching job he held 29 years ago? Did he really believe that some of the pre-schoolers he taught might bring a gun to class? It is the latest episode in a sometimes unbelievable US Senate campaign.

School Officials Say Candidate Overstated His Role By EMMA GRAVES FITZSIMMONS and JEFF ZELENY The New York Times Published: June 18, 2010 David Banks/Associated Press Mark S. Kirk of Illinois, a candidate for the Senate. In Illinois Race, a Teaching Career Is Questioned (June 17, 2010) CHICAGO — A leader of the church in upstate New York where Representative Mark S. Kirk of Illinois claims he worked as a nursery school teacher said on Friday that he had overstated his role there. The leader, Sally Grubb, a member of the administrative council at Forest Home Chapel, a Methodist church...

Mark Kirk's drive to turn his exemplary military service into a political liability continues today, with a rebuke from the Pentagon first reported on a blog that's been chipping away at the candidate, and picked up by the AP. Air Force Major April Cunningham tells blogger Terry Welch: In December 2008, Commander Kirk, while on active duty, participated in video discussions in the media about the unfolding situation involving then-Governor Blagojevich of Illinois. Members of the Armed Forces on active duty may not participate in television discussions as an advocate for or against a partisan political party, candidate, or cause....

Only 17 percent of Republicans think Kirk told the truth by Mark Rhoads Before the primary, I was urged by friends of mine in Washington, DC who like Mark Kirk for his expertise on national security issues to boost his candidacy if I could in articles and with friends in Illinois.  When I pointed out that Mark Kirk was a huge disappointment to me on the social issues I care most about, our mutual friends kept pressing me on how he was needed in the Senate as a voice for military readiness.    So I sent the new Public Policy Poll to some...

New poll indicates majority of IL voters reject both Giannoulias and Kirk Public Policy Polling survey results released Tuesday show GOP U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk's taken a beating on his military record controversy, and now both Kirk and Democratic opponent Alexi Giannoulias carry the same 30 favorable/ 31 unfavorable rating by those polled.  Those new findings show a six point drop in Kirk's numbers since questions were raised and Kirk apologized for misleading the public in describing his military honors and experience.  This poll, taken of 552 Illinoisans over the past two days, included questions about Kirk's military controversy, but did not mention Giannoulias' family banking scandal nor...

The Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is a prized jewel of our national ecosystem. Congress should work to preserve this environmental sanctuary. I remain strongly opposed to drilling for oil in the ANWR. The House budget does not provide funding for Alaskan oil drilling. As we move toward budget reconciliation, I will work with my colleagues to keep the Alaskan wilderness pristine and untouched.

Kirk says he opposes Ariz. immigration law May 18, 2010 (CHICAGO) -- Republican Illinois Congressman and U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk said Tuesday he opposes Arizona's new immigration law, taking a stand contrary to the conservative wing of his party. Kirk's stand comes in the wake of the flap at Highland Park High School where the girls' basketball team was stopped from attending a tournament in Arizona. [Excerpt from http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/politics&id=7448812 ]

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk accepted responsibility Thursday for a series of misstatements about his Navy Reserve career, including that he served in the Gulf War, that he once commanded the Pentagon war room and that he came under fire while flying intelligence missions over Iraq. Kirk blamed several of the inaccuracies on his attempts to translate "Pentagonese" for voters or on inattention by his campaign

Watching Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk squirm before the Tribune editorial board on Thursday for embellishing his military record reminded me of something: Watching Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias squirm in the same chair a few months ago, for his role in his family's controversial and now failed Broadway Bank. So now both candidates in the race for President Barack Obama's old Senate seat have problems. On Thursday it was Kirk, a U.S. Naval Reserve officer, doing the wriggling, and it wasn't pretty.

Illinois Senate Candidate Admits Claim About Military Award Was inaccurate By R. Jeffrey Smith May 29, 2010 The Republican candidate for President Obama's old Senate seat has admitted to inaccurately claiming he received the U.S. Navy's Intelligence Officer of the Year award for his service during NATO's conflict with Serbia in the late 1990s. Rep. Mark Kirk, a Navy reservist who was elected to Congress in 2001, acknowledged the error in his official biography after The Washington Post began looking into whether he had received the prestigious award, which is given by top Navy officials to a single individual annually....

Alexi Giannoulias's road to replace Barack Obama in the Senate from Illinois has just gotten even rockier. Not only is popular GOP Congressman Mark Kirk running against him, but his family's bank was seized by the government on suspicions of corruption. And now Democratic Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. may actually back Kirk. Yes, the son of Jesse Jackson might back a Republican. Politico is reporting this as it becomes obvious that Giannoulias may actually lose in this very blue state.

Commemorating Earth Day: CONGRESSMAN MARK KIRK'S EARTH DAY MESSAGE Reclaiming Teddy Roosevelt's Mantle Environmental Protection and Economic Growth Go Hand in Hand Dear Friend:Today is the 40th Earth Day – a day to embrace President Theodore Roosevelt’s vision of new national parks and conservation to protect America’s wildlife and our natural heritage for the next generation of Americans to enjoy.  Please take a moment to watch my Earth Day video message below. Watch Congressman Kirk's Earth Day Video MessageIn Illinois, we are home to the crown jewel of the Midwest’s environment – Lake Michigan.  As the co-chair of the...

Almost immediately after Democrats rammed Obamacare through Congress, Republicans began promising to fight for its repeal. Reps. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and Steve King of Iowa introduced repeal legislation in the House and Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina and 15 co-sponsors followed suit with similar legislation in the Senate. House Minority Leader John Boehner declared: "This government takeover of health care is not what Americans asked for. . . .That is why Republicans are fighting to repeal it and start over with common-sense reforms." The Club for Growth launched a repeal pledge that has so far been signed by...

Kirk calls for permanent embryo experimentation funding Thursday morning, U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk will hold a press conference at the University of Illinois at Chicago's College of Medicine Research Building to remind any softening conservative, prolife Republicans that he not only doesn't agree with their respect for life at embryonic stages, he wants to make taxpayer funding of embryo experimentation permanent.  Indeed, the Republicans' candidate for U.S. Senate emphasized his support for using embryos in his introductory "Independent" political ad by emphasizing he was one of the few Republicans that opposed President George W. Bush limited experimentation on cell lines to those already existing...

April 01, 2010 6:34 PM By BENJAMIN YOUNT Illinois Statehouse News SPRINGFIELD - Mark Kirk is adding a dose of realism to his opposition to the recently signed national health care reform. The Chicago-area congressman and GOP candidate for U.S. Senate said he still is opposed to much of the law aimed at overhauling the nation's health care system. But Kirk is backing away from his pledge to lead the fight to repeal the plan. "We lost, and we don't have the votes," Kirk said Thursday in Springfield. "And so now my job is to tell the American people exactly...

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Thursday backed a plan that he says would allow the Republicans to avoid a presidential veto while negating the effects of a new healthcare law. The 2008 GOP presidential nominee backed a plan that would strip funding from the healthcare law, which he says would not take an override to a veto to accomplish. "When I say repeal, people say you're not going to be able to do it," he said on KQTH FM Radio. "I am confident we will get majorities in both houses in the fall. And that means the power of the...