After the bitter primary between Bush and McCain in 2000, what if McCain decided to pull a John Anderson and run as an Independent?
McCain had a solid record in the Senate for Bipartisanship and Independence, and spoke out against the Moral Majority like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell. McCain wasn't quite the "Compassionate Conservative as Bush, but wasn't as left as Gore. The South Carolina primary was a very low blow to McCain, something I think that pushed him far away from his party for a while. Would he still be a Republican in the Senate? If he ran in 2004 for his seat would he do so as an Independent, or come back?
How would McCain organize his run? How much public support could he get (the media apparently loved his cheap, answer all questions campaign)? Could he break 10%? Would he be able to get a Democrat as his VP and run a bipartisan ticket? Who would he take more votes from?
And finally, could he actually win? Neither Bush nor Gore inspired much confidence in America, Could McCain have a legitimate chance at winning?