The tone of this long, dramatic presidential campaign began shifting a few weeks ago. There was no defining moment, but a gradual decline - one that has many thinking we have just another set of disappointing candidates.

Forgetting his staunch Iraq war positions and those gaffes in the Middle East for a moment, John McCain’s ideas on domestic policies, especially regarding the financial industry, have erased any optimism that may have existed about him providing anything resembling sound economic stewardship.

Of course, the Democrats’ bitter battle has made the questions surrounding John McCain seem tame - and even boosted the GOP nominee’s standing.

Barack Obama was dinged by Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and while he bounced back and reshaped the debate, his unfortunate comments about church-goers and gun owners in Pennsylvania dealt him another blow.

What he said is true, and makes perfect sense in a broader context - but the way Obama said it could easily give offense in rural America. There’s also an indignant air about him when he responds to harsh criticism.

Finally, there’s Hillary Clinton, who has gone too far in the way she has gone on the offensive with a relentless string of attacks against him since.

By unleashing everything in her arsenal against Obama, she managed to cut off coverage of her flat-out lying about Bosnia, or the duplicity of Mark Penn.

But she very well be causing irreparable damage in the process.

Rather than defusing the situation, taking the high road and talking about issues, Hillary Clinton - she of the $109M in earnings since 2000 - calls Barack Obama elitist, patronizing, out of touch and so much more.

Whether we can pull ourselves out of this mire remains to be seen. If we can’t, we may look back to the five-plus weeks between the Mississippi and Pennsylvania primaries as the turning point when McCain moved ahead to stay.