As I noted a bit ago reports are Fred Thompsons not yet a campaign, campaign, won’t meet fundraising expectations. Meanwhile the campaign manager stepped down the other day, Sam LeBlond nephew of George W. Bush stepped down today and rumors were flying earlier that Mary Matalin would be headed out (though it was later confirmed Meet Chris Cillizza she would be staying).

Chris highlighted the other things being rumored and talked about in regards to the Thompson campaign:

Our sense of the ongoing Thompson staff shuffle is that it is teetering on the brink of becoming just plain bad news. The sharks are circling and whispers about the too-prominent role of Thompson’s wife — Jeri — are everywhere. With news of every departure, the story tilts away from Thompson’s best interests.

The audience for this story remains largely confined within the Beltway for the moment, which is good for Thompson. But staff stirrings can lead to stories about disorganization, unhappiness and general disorder, and that is a narrative that does Thompson’s “campaign” no good, especially as he prepares to launch his bid formally sometime in the next month or so.