The implosion of his campaign and the mass firings and resignations are only symptoms of the larger, more fatal problem.

Last time around, McCain was a maverick aboard his Straight Talk Express, the scrappy, self-made insurgent fighting against a privileged schmuck who hadn't earned it. Now, despite all the bad blood between Bush and McCain (remember the push polling in South Carolina?), McCain has reinvented himself as a Bush lapdog, and this is hardly an upgrade.

Consider the political environment: just about everybody hates the war in Iraq, is furious over the immigration bill (especially the first version), and is wary at best of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform effort.

A tarnished image, advancing age, unpopular positions, and a mismanaged campaign are all ingredients in McCain recipe for failure. He will likely withdraw before the first votes are cast in Iowa.