There are two possibilities for how such a scenario could be set up. The first is if John McCain would have won the nomination in 2000 and was up against Kerry in 2004 when seeking re-election. The second is if John Kerry would have defeated George W. Bush in 2004 and was up against McCain in 2008 when seeking re-election (could Sarah Palin give McCain an edge in such a scenario?). I post these "What if McCain won in 2000" threads because I am fascinated by how the 'Maverick of the Senate' might have handled things differently from 'folksy swaggering', 'family values' George W. Bush would have. However, this thread is inspired by the tensions between Kerry and McCain from 2014-present. I wonder if similar dialogue would have occurred in ATL's presidential debates. It's also hard for me to find this scenario anywhere on the Alternate History Discussion Board. I mostly find scenarios of John Kerry Vs. Mitt Romney but not John Kerry Vs. John McCain.