McCain's Sad Finale

Marc Ambinder is reporting that McCain has also lost Mark Salter. The departure of Salter and Weaver marks the end of one of the most charismatic and legendary political braintrusts this town has seen -- especially considering that they never actually won the presidency. Journalists regarded Salter as McCain's alter-ego and he was the source of some of the Senator's most memorable lines -- both in speeches and in the form of the some half-dozen books that the two wrote together. (Their next one debuts next month. That oughta be a fun book tour...) Salter leaving the campaign -- and the Senator's side -- is the most visible sign that the McCain is not just desperate but hopelessly astray.

A less visible sign, for now, is what Nelson's departure means. The campaign insists he wasn't fired. I'm told that he and Weaver left after the "situation became untenable," and it seems like that's code for someone issuing an ultimatum. Nelson, a former Bushie, he brought on some of the campaign's most talented young staffers -- Brian Jones, Danny Diaz, and Matt David, among others -- and one suspects that the already deep cuts into payroll may now be supplemented by some voluntary resignations. "Their status is up in the air," says someone close to the campaign.

I'm told that as of last week, the campaign was still basically holding together. Morale was good, and many of those fired asked to return as volunteers. There was a sense that they might be able become a guerrilla operation again; today, the operation is truly is tatters and no one knows exactly what will happen this afternoon, much less tomorrow.

As Karen points out, this news broke just as McCain was delivering an Iraq speech on the Senate floor. Make your own tragic analogies.

UPDATE: The campaign says that Salter will contribute "pro bono speechwriting," but I'll believe it when I see it.

UPDATE: Politico has the details on that ultimatum:

Terry Nelson, an Iowan who had been a top operative in the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign, was forced out, reportedly at the urging of Davis. With Nelson gone, John Weaver, McCain's closest political adviser going back to the 2000 campaign and a sometimes Davis rival, tendered his resignation. Weaver's move then spurred Mark Salter, perhaps the closest personally of any staffer to McCain and the co-author of all his books, to also resign his post as campaign COO.