Republican 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.
In addition to Nelson and Weaver, Mark Salter has left the campaign:
Republicans close to the campaign say that Mark Salter, McCain's long-time chief of staff and co-author of his five books, is also leaving the campaign.
The sources said that the three did not split from McCain amicably.
If the name Salter strikes a bell with you, he's the McCain aide that went after the New School graduate who spoke out against McCain during the graduation ceremony. Maybe now CNN will stop putting him on as some sort of Iraq expert every other day.
