Da Coach in da Senate?

I didn't know whether to put this in the politics forum or the sports forum:

Da Coach in da Senate?

He is considering throwing his helmet into the ring.

Chicago Bears legend Mike Ditka said Monday that he is indeed mulling over asking GOP leaders to appoint him to replace Jack Ryan as the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate.

"A week ago I had no interest. I do have a little bit of interest right now," Ditka told the Chicago Sun-Times on Monday night. "But I'll make a decision by the end of the week. I am going to talk to some people in the next couple of days and I'll find out a little bit more about what I am going to do with my life."

Some of "those people" might just include Ryan, who was at Ditka's Gold Coast restaurant Monday night -- in close proximity to the former Bears player and coach -- though they were not seen engaging in public conversation.

[snip]
The coach's remarks are the clearest signal yet that a potential Ditka candidacy may not just be the creation of a small group of wishful Republicans and gullible reporters.

"Clearly, he would be an ideal candidate," said state Sen. Dave Syverson of Rockford, a member of the GOP panel that will choose the replacement. "The public is at a point where I think they are fed up with the lawyers and the politicians being the governmental leaders. And the concept of just a hard-working, ordinary guy that made it by hard work is, I think, something that many voters would find appealing."

In his interview with the Sun-Times, Ditka, 64, sketched himself out as a pragmatic, middle-of-the-road guy.

"I am not one of these people who every time something wrong happens that they don't like they are going to be critical of it. You know, I did not like what happened in 9/11 -- I did not like Iraq either, but it was part of a process that had to be done," he said. "I am very conservative, and a lot of people aren't going to like that. I am very outspoken and a lot of people aren't going to like that, but that's me. So if they don't like me they vote for the other guy."

Ditka made only an oblique reference to the Democratic candidate, Barack Obama.

"I don't think I'd be better than anybody, I never said I would be any better than anybody. I'll be honest, I'll be me," he said. "I want the best for this country, the best for this state, the best for this city, that's what I want. It's simple, I'm sure other people want the same thing I want. Can I make that happen? I don't know, but I'll work at it."

Obama said he would not change his game plan if Ditka gets in the race.

"He would give me pause if I was meeting him on the football field," said Obama, 42. "Even though he is older than me, he looks pretty tough. I can take him on the basketball court. And I'm convinced I can sing 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' better than him.

"But as far as politics, my focus is just going to be on talking to voters about the things that matter in their lives."
[snip]

So, is the US Senate ready for "da coach?"