About as much as McCain's defeat set the stage for 2012. As much as voting for Perot in 1992 set the stage for Dole's nomination
Are you saying McLame and Herbie lost because not enough conservatives drank the GOPe Kool-Aid?
No. I’m saying that your thinking that the GOP candidate losing or voting for a third party did not accomplish in the past what you think they will accomplish in the future.
Ross Perot was not a conservative, so that's an irrelevant example. What conservative third party got a significant percentage of the vote in 2008?
You really think Virgil has the slightest chance to receive “a significant percentage of the vote in 2008.” A single electoral vote?
Really? Enough to wager on it? I’ll give you very heavy odds.