McCain Shakes Up Staff (manager and chief strategist resign)

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

McCain Shakes Up Staff
AP Newsbreak: McCain Leadership Shake Up

By LIZ SIDOTI Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON Jul 10, 2007 (AP)

John McCain's campaign manager and chief strategist
are gone from their leadership roles, according to
several officials with knowledge of the staff changes.

One official said Terry Nelson resigned as campaign
manager for the Republican presidential candidate and
John Weaver stepped down from his post of chief
strategist on Tuesday. But other officials said Nelson
was fired.

The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity
because the shake-up has not been made public.

Two officials said Rick Davis, a longtime aide to McCain,
will take over the campaign.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=3362481

[Totally Committed]

1. Uh, I heard they both quit on him...

but, I guess that's only a technicality when "spinning" a story.

TC

[Vidar]

2. Deck chairs on the Titanic.

[youngdem]

3. Well, that was wasted money anyway....I mean, who could even tell he had a strategist?

Unless the strategy was to see how quickly they could take a strong first tier candidacy and trash it to where they trail a south Texas Libertarian nobody.

[Strawman]

4. He ought to hire Kubler-Ross

It's over John.

[liberalnurse]

5. Poor Johnny,

he is still in DENIAL STAGE............Hahahaha O8)

[Strawman]

6. I think "greater campaign role for spouse" ought to be a stage

in the acceptance of a campaign's death. It was either the NYT or the Washington Post (can't remember) did a big piece recently on how the McCain campaign wanted Cindy McCain to have a more visible role. Basically, that means nobody like the actual candidate too much anymore.

Or maybe that could be rolled into the denial stage. That's basically what it is. The idea of him resigning his Senate seat to focus exclusively on the campaign is definitely "bargaining."

[napi21]

7. I heard Candy Crowley on CNN say there was a BIG FIGHT,

and McCain was VERY UNHAPPY with the way his campaigh has been managed. But the very surprising comparison she made was "McCain firing his chief strategist NOW is like GWB firing Karl Rove in the middle of trying to implement some strategic new game plan! It's extremely traumatic!"

Apparently this guy has been with John as long as Rover's been with Shrub and he depended on him for everything!

I've thought for a while that McCain's campaign was in trhouble. NOW I think it's terminal and quite near death!

[calimary]

8. I think probably so. He'll soldier on for awhile and pretend and deny

the inevitable while running on fumes. But unless there's a huge transfusion of way more than just money, his campaign is pretty much finished. Besides, with the news about how he only has 2 mill in the bank and doing poorly and of course every political reporter mentioning that in their questioning of any one inside or outside the republi-CON campaign machinery, it's a meme that will only sink in farther into people's psyches. PERCEPTION. PERCEPTION is everything. And at the moment, he's becoming positioned in the public mind as a goner.

[napi21]

9. I honestly wonder who the real McCain is? I really liked the McCain

of 2000. The rebel. The guy who wasn't afraid to say what He thought and the reason why, and it made sense! He told the fundies like Robertson and Shrub's visit to Bob Jones was nothing but pandering, and he was right! I loved the Straight Talk Express. Where did THAT John McCain go? Is he just too old now? I don't know either answer, but I believe his campaign is on it's death bed, and it's a terminal watch.

[TwilightGardener]

10. Hagel picked up the "rebel" torch from McCain and is running with it. McCain--

well, it looks grim. Weaver has been with him a LONG time--the comparison to Rove is apt. He's not going to have any supporters left, as time goes on, if the most faithful and loyal of his staff won't even stick it out with him this early in the primary season. I'm willing to bet that Weaver/Nelson wanted McCain to face reality and call it quits so they can all get back to a normal life and do something productive, but he refused.

[napi21]

11. Hmmm....I never thought of that, but that could well be true.

They saw the real world and McCain wasn't willing to do that. That makes sense to me, while most of the BS the MSM is handing out doesn't. Thanks.

[Alexander]

12. That's why Hagel will be the Republican nominee.

A "maverick" who sides with the Republicans 99% of the time.