The coverage of Arizona Sen. John McCain's plummeting Iowa campaign continues today as the Des Moines Register reports that his staff is losing Ed Failor Jr. and Karen Slifka, two of his top Iowa consultants, in the wake of former campaign manager Terry Nelson's departure.

"To me, the best person who could be running the campaign is gone," Failor told the Register. "He was a big reason I was willing to be involved in the campaign."

Failor is the executive vice president of Iowans for Tax Relief, and Slifka is a former Midwest regional director of the Republican National Committee.

Their departures significantly hamper McCain's ability to attract conservative Iowans and do well at the caucuses, which could add pressure to skip Iowa, as some of his top aides have suggested.

The late Krusty Konservative ranked McCain's Iowa staff No. 1 in the state back in late April almost entirely because of Failor and Slifka:

Sen. McCain has assembled the best staff in the state. The staff konsists of three konsultants and 15 staff members. What puts McCain over the top is the experience of their konsultants. Ed Failor, Jr. and Karen Slifka have a wealth of caucus experience, which is invaluable when it comes to teaching young field staffers how to organize for a caucus.

Now they're gone, and with them, more of McCain's chances in Iowa.