The divorce records of Republican Senate candidate Jack Ryan have been released. Last week a California judge ordered the documents opened in response to a lawsuit started by the Chicago Tribune and Chicago’s WLS-TV.

The files disclosed allegations made against Ryan by his former wife. She said that he insisted she go to sex clubs with him. According to the Associated Press, actress Jeri Lynn Ryan described one spot as "a bizarre club with cages, whips and other apparatus hanging from the ceiling."

She also charged that Ryan wanted her to perform sex acts in public so that others could watch.

For his part, Ryan denied the allegations, asserting that he had merely arranged some "romantic getaways." Using some Clintonesque parsing, he admitted: "We did go to one avant-garde nightclub in Paris which was more than either one of us felt comfortable with. We left and vowed never to return."

Oh, so that’s what they’re called these days. Avant-garde.

We all know that some spouses make spurious statements when love sours and the only dates the couple has are in domestic relations court. At this point, it doesn’t make much of a difference who, if either, was telling the truth.

This incident effectively kills any possibility of the very liberal Democrat Barack Obama not being elected in November. The odds of Mr. Ryan winning have always ranged between slim and none. Slim just left town.

Sex scandals work for Democrats. They don’t for Republicans.

A Tribune poll taken at the end of last month showed Obama with a commanding 22-point lead.

With the mediocre operation he’s run so far, it didn’t appear likely that Ryan would be able to turn things around. His campaign had failed to catch fire, even among many Republicans activists.

Running touchy-feely ads about how he taught in an all-black school doesn’t appeal to the party’s base. And it certainly wasn’t going to diminish Obama’s 90 percent plus lead among African-Americans.

Some observers think Ryan initially made a crucial mistake during the primaries by not disclosing documents relating to his split-up. Perhaps seeing Democrat Blair Hull’s candidacy crumble when details of his divorce were revealed strengthened Ryan’s resolve to keep the records under wrap.

He asserted this was to protect his son. At the same time, the candidate claimed that there’d be no embarrassment to the party if the information were made public.

If he genuinely believed that tales of sex clubs with cages and whips wouldn’t prove awkward, then Ryan is simply too dumb to be in the Senate. With people like Patty Murray (D-Wash) roaming the corridors there, that’s saying a lot.

I think Ryan’s actual first mistake was in running at all. Did he really think that the media would be satisfied with anything less than complete disclosure?

The next blunder was that of Republican primary voters. They chose him when there already was widespread public awareness of his messy break up and his efforts to cover things up. Illinois has become a Democratic stronghold in recent years, but that’s no reason to treat the Republican nomination so carelessly.

What happens now? Again, it doesn’t make much of a difference. Mr. Ryan will maintain some of his support.

A few Illinois Republican leaders will call on him to drop out of the race. Congressman Ray LaHood has already done that. Apparently, Jack Ryan’s campaign isn’t playing well in Peoria any longer.

Former Governor Jim Edgar on Monday continued to back Ryan and suggested it was time to move on. That statement was given after Mr. Ryan had assured Edgar that there wasn’t anything too terrible in the documents. It’ll be interesting so see Edgar’s reaction after he finds out for himself.

Jack Ryan may remain the candidate or there may be another. Either way, the Republican standard bearer will get clobbered.

The Illinois GOP has moved into full surrender mode. And just when President Bush needs every vote in the Senate he can get.