Corporate Donors Snub McCain

John McCain is lagging far behind his GOP primary rivals in fundraising, in part because he's alienated so many big corporate donors in his Senate career. All that straight talk about minimizing the influence of money on politics has taken its toll, the New York Times notes. One defense industry lobbyist called McCain a "one man wrecking crew."

Defense contractors have given less than half to McCain than to Democratic long-shot Christopher Dodd. And those who've actually benefited from his anti-corruption campaigns—the American Indian casino owners he helped by investigating lobbyists who bilked them—can't come to the rescue. He's foresworn contributions from them to avoid conflicts of interest. (More John McCain stories.)