McCain Campaign Leadership Shuffle

This is what happens when you go from GOP presidential nomination front-runner to being unable to raise competitive money in the second quarter. MSNBC is reporting that McCain's campaign manager Terry Nelson and his chief strategist John Weaver have both stepped down. MSNBC has the AP wire report.

I think its pretty well coordinated that this news came out exactly as he was on the floor of the Senate talking about Iraq. There's also a bit of confusion as to whether Nelson resigned or was fired, according to the AP report. From the report:

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 another official said Nelson was fired.

The officials spoke on the condition of anonimity (sic) because the shake-up has not been made public.

Update: Politico has the statements from the staffers released by the campaign, which are the usual fare:

"This morning I informed Senator McCain that I would be resigning from his presidential campaign, effective immediately. It has been a tremendous honor to serve Senator McCain and work on his campaign. I believe John McCain is the most experienced and prepared candidate to represent the Republican Party and defeat the Democratic nominee next year." - Terry Nelson, Campaign Manager

"As of today, I have resigned my position as chief strategist to John McCain's presidential campaign. It has been my honor and a distinct privilege to serve someone who has always put our country first. I believe that most Americans will come to the conclusion that I have long known there is only one person equipped to serve as our nation's chief executive and deal with the challenges we face, and that person is John McCain." - John Weaver, Chief Strategist

And USAToday makes good with McCain's official statement, from the campaign:

"Today, John Weaver and Terry Nelson offered their resignations from my presidential campaign, which I accepted with regret and deep gratitude for their dedication, hard work and friendship. Terry is a consummate professional, who has ably lead this campaign through a challenging political environment. John Weaver has been my friend and trusted counselor for many years and to whom I am greatly indebted. In the days and weeks ahead this campaign will move forward, and I will continue to address the issues of greatest concern to the American people, laying out my vision for a secure and prosperous America."

So it looks like the official line is that everyone resigned, although I'm sure we'll have a few books that say different in a year or three.