Republican Senate candidate Mark Kirk of Illinois is reportedly trying to get Sarah Plain to endorse his candidacy, which is not surprising considering the formidable sway the former Alaska governor seems to hold on the conservative movement.

But there's good reason to think Kirk will come up short in his efforts. And its not simply because the tea-party set feels he lacks the ideological bonafides.

Kirk was one of the first elected Republican officials to raise concerns about Palin's selection as John McCain's vice presidential candidate. Back in October 2008, the Illinois Republican told the Chicago Tribune that he "would have picked someone different." Asked later whether he thought Palin was qualified to be one heartbeat away from being commander in chief, Kirk replied: "Quite frankly, I don't know."

Quite a few other Republicans were distancing themselves from Palin around the same time. But Kirk was actually associated with the McCain campaign -- having bundled for the Senator -- making his remarks all the more of a distraction for the Arizona Republican