Disorder In The Court

The GOP-that same organization which itself has been such a stellar example of efficiency-is worried about how McCain is running his show.

In interviews, some party leaders said they were worried about signs of disorder in his campaign and about whether the focus in the last several weeks on the prominent role of lobbyists in McCain's inner circle might undercut the heart of his general election message: that he is reformer taking on special interests in Washington.

'The core image of John McCain is as a reformer in Washington, and the more dominant the story is about the lobbying teams around him, the more you put that into question,' said Terry Nelson, who was McCain's campaign manager until he was forced out last year. 'If the Obama campaign can truly change him from being seen as a reformer to just being another Washington politician, it could be very damaging over the course of the campaign.'

Some leaders of state Republican party organizations said they were apprehensive about the unusual organization that McCain had set up: The campaign has been broken into 10 semi-autonomous regions, with each having power over such things as buying television advertising and the candidate's schedule, decisions normally left to headquarters.

So, maybe that's merely a sign of how McCain would treat the states as President. The less management, the better, remember?