John McCain appears to be sticking to his pledge to run a clean campaign (somewhat clean, as we have seen), and this evening it was announced that another campaign advisor has been removed, this time over their association to a 527 group.

Politico.com has the story in it's article McCain adviser ousted in conflict uproar:

John McCain's campaign asked a prominent Republican consultant, Craig Shirley, to leave his official campaign role Thursday after a Politico inquiry about Shirley's dual role consulting for the campaign and for an independent "527" group opposing the Democratic presidential candidates. The campaign also released a new conflict of interest policy barring such arrangements.

Shirley, a conservative public relations veteran, doubled as a consultant to McCain and to the group Stop Her Now, a 527 group barred from coordinating its activities with presidential campaigns. He is not currently on the McCain campaign’s payroll, but would also step down from his role on McCain’s Virginia Leadership Team, a McCain spokesman, Brian Rogers, said.

"If you're working for a 527 involved in the presidential race, you won't have a named role in our campaign,” said Rogers.

I'm not sure what having an "un-named role" would constitute, but I'm guessing that as in the past, the 527s will do their work, McCain will say "Don't do that", and then will turn his back while the dirty work continues, as we saw in North Carolina.

The article also contains a summary of an animated 527 spot by Craig Shirley's group featuring Obama and Rev. Wright in the Oval Office:

One recent anti-Obama cartoon features an Oval Office exchange between President Obama and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, whom Obama summons as his “spiritual advisor.”

“How may I serve you my brother?” asks the animated Wright.

“Is love black and white?” asks the fictional Obama.

“No – it is black,” shrieks Wright.

“Really?” asks Obama.

“Goddam right,” the minister replies.

"That's what I'd thought you'd say," says a reassured Obama.

The article goes on to detail some of the grey areas of FEC laws regarding conflict-of-interest that McCain's campaign hopes to avoid with Shirley's dismissal.

Read the entire article here.