The McCain five

A fifth campaign adviser to candidate John McCain has had to step down because of his past as a lobbyist.

McCain hopes the public sees this shakeout as proof the candidate is a reformer. I'm not sure it's going to play that way, however. This is the world many of his top aides come from, including his campaign manager. This is the campaign he built.

Updated: Marc Ambinder at The Atlantic provides some background on the departure of Tom Loeffler, the latest victim of the lobbyist purge from the McCain camp. He notes that Loeffler and McCain enjoyed a long and trusting relationship prior to the new rules handed down by former lobbyist/campaign manager Rick Davis.

Will others be forced to leave? Ambinder has this unsurprising answer: A few others are expected to leave within the week, according to outside campaign advisers.