WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Phil Gramm, an economic adviser to Republican presidential hopeful John McCain, resigned from his campaign on Friday in the fallout over his comment that the United States had become a "nation of whiners."

Gramm, a former Texas senator, said in a statement issued by the McCain campaign that Democratic attacks on him had become a distraction to Arizona Sen. McCain, who will face Democrat Barack Obama in the November 4 election.

"To end this distraction and get on with the real debate, I hereby step down as co-chair of the McCain campaign and join the growing number of rank-and-file McCain supporters," Gramm said.

Gramm, who had advised McCain on economic issues, stirred controversy earlier this month by saying in a newspaper interview that Americans were in a "mental recession" over the economy and had become a "nation of whiners."

I always like it when someone leaves on a petulant note as they're being kicked to the curb. Sounds like Mr. Gramm had his own special whining moment, blaming everyone but himself for sabotaging his new found career as political king maker. Must be a Texas Republican thing. Yes, those horrible Democrats attacking him for repeating his own incredibly moronic statement. Causing such a distraction from the real debate, or at least the one McCain would prefer to have about how if Obama wins we all die and only Johnny Mac can save us from defeat in Iraq and around the globe with his special super Patriot powers that elitist half-African oreos like Obama will never have. Yeah, that's such an important message.

Which reminds me: is this the next McCain surrogate to resign from Johnny Mac's campaign to avoid Democrats distracting us from the real debate?

WASHINGTON: A supporter of Republican presidential hopeful John McCain said that Muslims wanted to kill Americans, provoking anger among Muslims and a hasty clarification from the campaign.

"The Muslims have said either we kneel or they're going to kill us," former prisoner of war in Vietnam Bud Day said on a conference call with reporters organised by the Floridan Republican party.

"I don't intend to kneel and I don't advocate to anybody that we kneel, and John doesn't advocate to anybody that we kneel."

So is Bud Day history? Probably not. We'll probably hear more from him about those murdering, filthy Muslims before this campaign is through. He is, after all, a war hero, just like McCain because he was once shot down over North Vietnam and suffered in a prison camp run by a bunch of hateful gooks. And if we have learned anything in politics this year, it's that Republican "war heroes" always get a free pass from the media. Republican "war heroes" and, of course, Joe Lieberman, can say damn near anything they please and get away with it, no matter how ridiculous or outrageous. Poor Phil Gramm. If only he'd served in Vietnam as a Navy pilot, been shot down and tortured by his Gook Commie bastard captors, or been named Joe Lieberman, all would have been forgiven. It's his own damn fault he failed to meet the requirements for making stupid political statements.

Bye-bye Phil. Sorry to see you go. You were doing a heckuva a job in my book. I can't tell you how much I'll miss being insulted by you and your lobbyist buddies about my whining and other mental defects. Alas.