Desperate for a comeback, leaders of the Illinois GOP warned months ago that rank-and-file members need to settle on a strategy for rebuilding the state party.

But how to defend tax cuts for the wealthy, anti-immigrant polices, and votes against workplace and health care reforms? Rather than refashion their unpopular platform, the AP reports they’ve come up with a different game plan: attack disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich at every possible chance and hope something sticks.

Meanwhile, two of the state party’s most prominent officials -- Reps. Mark Kirk and Peter Roskam -- have both set their sights set on Barack Obama’s former Senate seat. Talking to The Hill on Monday about his interest in the 2010 race, Roskam unveiled an odd metaphor, saying that Sen. Roland Burris represents “political sorbet” because of his ties to the embattled governor.

Who knows what kind of race Burris will ultimately run next year or if he’ll even be the Democratic candidate. But remember this whenever you hear Roskam make a political prediction: this is a man who last September called John McCain’s pick of Sarah Palin “brilliant.”

On WIND’s Big John and Cisco earlier this month, Kirk tooted his own horn a bit when he agreed with the theory that Democrats dropped their support for a special election to replace Obama when they realized Kirk would be unbeatable. From the interview:

BIG JOHN: I think the Democrats took a look at your popularity and decided that’s not the way they want to go this time around.

KIRK: That might have been part of why we had this complete farce of a process here and then the about-face that they did yesterday. So now, the one thing I don’t think they can change is there will be a general election to pick our senator in 2010. I’m taking a long look at it. We’ll look at all the options there, I’ll make a decision soon and then we’ll go at it [...]

I’m going to do this in the Navy way, which is: if you go for it, it’s full speed ahead, guns blazing, go for it.

Let’s hope that, if Kirk does ultimately run for statewide office next year, the Chicago media will take off the kid gloves. (Here’s our recap of Kirk’s lowlights from the past year.)