It's that old saw: Once you get caught circulating a jokey email with a picture of the black President of the United States as a witch doctor in a loin cloth with a bone through his nose, things can break down pretty quickly.

Over the course of the day, Dr. David McKalip has apologized for the email, been rebuked by the Florida Medical Association despite noting he'd once done some career counseling for some black boy scouts, been forced to resign as the head of his local medical association, and now, as he announced to a listserve of fellow Tea Party activists today, he'll withdraw from the public debate over health care reform altogether so as not to distract from the goals of the movement.

On the other hand, Marco Rubio, the right-wing primary opponent to Gov. Charlie Crist in Florida's GOP senate primary, won't say whether he's going to sever ties with McKalip, who held a fundraiser for him last month.