Governors, fund-raisers and ranking GOP officials second-guessed Bush and his strategists in the aftermath of McCain's sweep of Michigan and Arizona in Tuesday primaries. The complaints ranged from his decision to visit a conservative South Carolina university -- which one governor called "stupid" -- to the $1 million TV ad campaign in McCain's home state.

"I think there's a learning curve happening right now in terms of running a national campaign," said Chris DePino, chairman of the Connecticut Republican Party and a staunch Bush supporter.

The allies said they still believe Bush will prevail in upcoming primaries. "When it comes down to it, and they actually have to choose a nominee and a president, voters are going to be looking for the guy who had done stuff and not just look at the slogans and a lot of rah rah," said Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. "That's when Governor Bush will prevail."

But their willingness to critique the campaign underscores a growing concern about the candidate they anointed a front-runner long before the first votes were cast.

McCain, meanwhile, crowed about his "overwhelming and phenomenal victory" during a Washington state swing, as both campaigns drew up strategies for a two-week stretch of contests in 16 states and four American territories.

Republicans were hit with the stark realization Wednesday that they may be in for a long, expensive race that could produce a weakened nominee.

"There's a lot of people who signed on early with Gov. Bush who are wondering why this is going on so long," said New Hampshire party chairman Steve Duprey.

The sentiment was echoed throughout GOP circles, as the fallout from the Michigan defeat engulfed Bush's closest allies.

Several said his visit to Bob Jones University, renown for anti-Catholic sentiments, gave McCain an issue in Michigan and several other primary states with large Catholic populations.

"I think it was stupid," Connecticut Gov. John Rowland said.

Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating, one of Bush's closest allies, questioned why the Texan spent $1 million to air TV ads in Arizona. Bush lost the state by nearly a 2-to-1 margin, though McCain didn't air any ads.

"You want to play in every state and show that you're a national candidate, but obviously a sitting senator's home state is not a place you want to invest many resources," Keating said.

DePino, one of Bush's early fund-raisers, sighed loudly into the telephone when the subject of Arizona spending came up. "I just wish I had a little more input on how they directed some of this money," he said.

Bush struggled to defend the Arizona spending, telling reporters, "I never expected to win Arizona. It was just part of our overall strategy."

Bush's fast-spending ways are a constant complaint now that public records show that McCain has narrowed his financial advantage.

Rowland said Bush also relies too much on TV at the expense of grassroots organizing.

"It's voter turnout. It's contact and follow up. It's good old-fashioned one-on-one by the candidate. I don't think there's been enough of that" by Bush, said the governor of Connecticut, where Bush trails McCain in polls.

One Republican governor and the top political aide to another, both speaking on condition of anonymity, said Bush's team has been reluctant to ship money and resources to state GOP organizations in the March 7 states.

In one state run by a Bush-supporter, the governor helped raise more than $1 million and has received less than $5,000 from Austin to finance grassroots operations.

Bush, who felt he could end McCain's threat in Michigan, is now forced to splurge on the March 7 states.

"It's an uphill fight, but we're going to work very hard," Gov. Paul Cellucci of Massachusetts, where McCain leads by more than 20 points in polls.

McCain is counting on a sweep of New England states, victories in most of New York's congressional districts and a triumph in California to force Bush to compete well past a six-state showdown March 14.

McCain began airing ads in northern Virginia on Tuesday to improve his standing in that state and to reach voters in Maryland -- a March 7 state. McCain plans to spend most of his time in California and New York, with stops in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, Ohio and Georgia, sources say.

Bush believes he can slow his rival March 7 by winning California, most of New York, Ohio, Georgia and Missouri, a state that McCain may not contest. Bush hopes to put McCain away March 14, when votes are cast in six states -- including Texas and the home of his brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

Both hope to gain momentum next Tuesday, when North Dakota, Virginia and Washington State conduct primaries. McCain is focused on Washington State; Bush believes he can win Virginia and North Dakota.

Barbara Alby, a member of the Republican National Committee in California, said McCain is now a serious contender for the state's 162 delegates.

"I think George W. was served well for months by all the inside politics -- the fact that his winning was ... supposedly inevitable. But that has angered some of the rank-and-file," she said. "George is a great guy, but we must really start to work voters as well as the insiders."

Bush's top strategist, Karl Rove, and other aides called antsy supporters in across the country Wednesday to argue that McCain owed Democrats for his victory in Michigan and would not benefit from crossover voting in later contests.

The talk sounded like sour grapes to some Bush supporters. "We shouldn't complain about the rules, because we knew about them going in," Rowland said.

An analysis of elections scheduled through March 14 shows that 1,158 delegates will be at stake, and about half of them will be awarded by states that allow non-Republicans to vote.

Unlike Michigan, which only conducted a GOP primary Tuesday, upcoming contests will be run in conjunction with Democratic races, thus Democratic voters may be less likely to cross over.

Eun-Kyung Kim contributed to this story.