In 2000, it took till South Carolina and Virginia for the gaffes to start rolling off the assembly line. In the wake of McCain’s “phony” attack, it looks like the pressure may be getting to him.

There’s this:

McCain — asked about Romney’s latest immigration attack in New Hampshire — says “Never get into a wrestling match with a pig. You both get dirty — and the pig likes it.”

And then this:

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) - Republican presidential hopeful John McCain joked Friday that given his campaign’s ups and downs, he’s shown the stamina of the last man on Earth.

“I’ve been declared dead in this campaign on five or six occasions. I won’t refer to a recent movie I saw, but I think I am legend,” he told reporters, referring to the film in which Will Smith stars as the last man on Earth.

Oy.