It has a predictable pattern. In fact, once someone starts calling for your resignation, your odds of survival are slim.

There has been a lot of it in politics.

Here’s the prototype for a resignation. A campaign official makes a statement that is not PC. It’s reported, and then the opposing camp (or the news media) call for a resignation.

That results in a swell of media and political speculation. Ultimately, the offending spokesperson resigns with an apology.

It’s a quick, easy and inexpensive series of stories. Predictable and guaranteed headlines are the result.

Examples:

By the way, by my count, Hillary has lost more people to resignation than Barack. I could be wrong, so, let me know.

Let’s look a little more.

Clinton campaign manager and deputy manager resign (February 2008)

Larry Craig resigns from Romney campaign (August 2007)

Or, just look at the number of public and newsworthy resignations in the last year. Maybe we should blame Don Imus.

The State Department executive after revealing he was a client of the so-called D.C. Madam

Rumsfeld’s resignation back in late 2006 after so many calls for so many years

Romney called for the resignation of a judge he had appointed

Karl Rove

Karen Hughes

Albert Gonzales

Trent Lott

Dennis Hastert

Tony Blair

And all the calls for Larry Craig’s resignation

Resignations always make news. Just this week we have Eliot Spitzer and

Admiral Fallon. And in Arizona, there is speculation about the impact of a possible John McCain resignation from the Senate.

Just in case you don’t think it’s in the alignment of the stars, here are some other recent high profile resignations:

These are just a few that have happened in less than a year.

Resignations always make news, and they rarely represent good news.

Why so many right now? Because It's time for a move.

It’s the final year of President Bush’s term. People like Rove, Hughes, Dan Bartlett and a long list of others need to plan the rest of their lives. Interestingly, you also have a near record on the number of GOP Members of Congress are calling it quits. Sometimes, resignations are the only way out.

That was the case with Eliot Spitzer this week, and probably should have been the case with Senator Larry Craig.

But who will be left standing if every person with an opinion in a campaign is silenced with these quick calls for resignations?

Surely there are some other campaign tactics besides the look for the gaffe, the call for a resignation and apology and the final banishment from the public stage. One of the best things about this campaign has been the freshness of the political argument, the seemingly unrehearsed candidate moments and the new voices added to the debate. The “calls to resign” are becoming tiresome and seem unfair when we all know that in the public’s mind, resignation is tantamount to the admission of guilt.