First the suggestion that Ron Paul had more money than McCain, and now this:

McCain loses top advisers
by Mike DorningRepublican presidential candidate John McCain’s two top campaign advisers departed today, a major shake-up for a presidential bid that has been struggling for much of the year.

The resignation of campaign manager Terry Nelson and chief strategist John Weaver was announced this morning less than a week after a reorganization that involved laying off dozens of campaign staff members.

The Arizona senator’s campaign has been hindered by his strong identification with President Bush’s unpopular troop surge in Iraq, high-visibility support for an immigration reform plan passionately opposed by many rank-and-file conservatives and frosty relations with leading religious conservatives.

Given how the Religious Wide Right hates McCain, there’s no real surprise in the realization that he’s not going to win the nomination. But I’m honestly stunned at how quickly he’s fallen off the pace – apparently his Panderella act didn’t convince anybody that his Bob Dolization treatments had taken.

Note to future spineless moderates:

• The freak right knows its own and they’ll hate you if you’re to the left of Jesse Helms.
• Nobody respects a man who enters the room on his knees.

Let’s get a pool started on when he’ll officially withdraw….