What happened to the Republican party?

And as for the future, just look to the 2008 Presidential field: an array of candidates so tired, and frankly uninspired that one of the most popular hasn't even entered the race.

Even front-runner Rudi Giuliani hasn't had it all his own way, with New York fire-fighters issuing a damning video upbraiding his conduct during the 11 September attacks.

Now, as if to illustrate the GOP's woes: witness the slow death of the John McCain campaign. The once maverick darling of the press has been reduced to sacking most of his staff and begging for cash.

"I've had tough times in my life and this is a day at the beach compared to some others." he declared in New Hampshire this weekend - and yes, it probably doesn't seem as bad as those long years in Vietnamese captivity.

But still - the fighting talk doesn't sit well with the hard facts: McCain's team has haemorrhaged £22m dollars so far, without airing a single campaign ad. Now there's just $2m left in the bank, which would barely fund a local mayoral campaign, let alone the White House.

Hence there were those dramatic steps last week such as ditching John Weaver as well as Terry Nelson, the man who helped President Bush back into power in '04.

There was also the laying off of dozens more staffers and putting his long-time campaign aide and smooth DC lobbyist Rick Davis back in charge.

He's the one who confidently predicted McCain would raise more than $150m overall - with almost $50m in the first quarter: a vastly over-rated figure, as it turned out.

Those projections have meant that instead of the old winning formula, based on grassroots campaigning and the down home authenticity of the 'Straight Talk Express', in came plans for highly paid consultants, nationwide offices, expensive polling and a huge bureaucracy to support it all.

But the money never came in. That was partly because of McCain's staunch support for the Iraq war and partly because, seven years after the 2000 race, he's no longer a man who seems fresh and innovative, but rather old, cranky and out of touch.

Now, according to the Washington Post - current and former staffers say the entire operation isn't just broke - but bust - confused, divided and 'riven with petty jealousies'.

McCain himself is apparently trying to take back control. But with his campaign in such a sorry state - there's not much left for him to take over.

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