In a week of almost unprecedented economic crisis, when Wall Street seemed on the brink of meltdown, John McCain's presidential bid was hit by mistake after mistake, varying from the serious to the surreal.

As stocks dropped off a precipice, McCain said the economic fundamentals were strong. Then a senior aide seemed to suggest McCain had invented the BlackBerry. His top economic advisor, Carly Fiorina, confessed she thought neither McCain nor his running mate, Sarah Palin, was capable of running a large company.

Then, in the middle of the worst financial collapse since the 1930s, McCain got the public endorsement of Donald Trump, a celebrity tycoon who symbolizes raw capitalism. For a candidate trying to strike a populist tone, the backing of "the Donald" was poorly timed.