McCain Campaign Continues Circling the Drain

His presidential bid has turned into an endless implosion....

McCain Campaign Is Dealt New Blow as Media Team Resigns

By JACKIE CALMES
July 26, 2007; Page A4

WASHINGTON -- Sen. John McCain's media team has resigned, an indication that a campaign shake-up two weeks ago is continuing to backfire and further imperil the Arizona Republican's presidential candidacy.

Political ad-makers Russ Schriefer and Stuart Stevens, veterans of President Bush's 2000 and 2004 campaigns, on Monday emailed the new campaign manager -- lobbyist and longtime McCain adviser Rick Davis -- to say that they were quitting. The two men told friends they had considered leaving for days, as they hadn't been paid and the campaign's financial straits raised questions of when and how much they would be.

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The unraveling of the McCain team this month climaxes months of infighting between other McCain advisers and Mr. Davis. That came against a backdrop of a slide in the polls as Sen. McCain became identified with two unpopular issues, the Iraq war and immigration overhauls. Mr. Davis privately complained to Republicans outside the campaign about the Nelson-Weaver team's strategic leadership, while within the campaign his own actions were a source of building tension. full article

Unfortunately for Mr. McCain this is sounding like one of the final nails in his campaigns coffin. His stance on immigration reform hurt him with the base while his continued support of keeping troops in Iraq hurt him with moderates. But I think what is really hurting him is that this campaign seems like a watered down version of his 2000 campaign. The candor and freshness oft spoken of back then have been replaced by talking points, ambiguous answers, and bad sweaters. Somehow Mr. McCain has gone from being "McCain the maverick" to "McCain the heavily managed career politician". A little advice Mr. McCain:

Ditch the focus groups, managers, and the ambiguity. Call them as you see them, lose the Grandpa sweaters, call BS on every other candidate whenever possible. I can't guarantee you'll win following that advice but at least you'll go out with a bang instead of a whimper. And you'll still have your dignity and the respect of more than a few Americans. Maybe even enough to get elected senator again.