"Even worse, we lied about it too," Schnur said, referring to how the campaign at first denied knowing about the calls. "It really hurt our credibility."

The third major mistake, according to Schnur, was McCain's criticism of

the Rev. Jerry Falwell and the Rev.Pat Robertson.

In a speech delivered in Robertson's hometown of Virginia Beach just a day before the Virginia primaries, McCain called Falwell and Robertson "agents of intolerance," saying that he hoped the Republican Party would not follow their lead.

The statements were construed by many voters to be an attack on evangelical Christians, rather than just Robertson and Falwell, Schnur said.

"It was too nuanced of a message [for the day before the primary]," Schnur added.

Summing up the campaign, he said most of the mistakes were made as McCain's message gathered momentum.

"For ten months, we ran as near a perfect campaign as we could have...but in seven days, we melted down," Shnur said.