"..that would be a heck of a conundrum for many Republicans"
Is that what you want - a conundrum for Republicans?
Zel Miller probably wouldn't run as a Democrat or Independant anyway, because he knows he'd lose. I'd like to see him enter the fray as a Republican though.
I was pretty young when Goldwater ran as a third party candidate, but we kids were enlisted when my normally Republican parents and all the other conservative Republicans worked incredibly hard to make that happen.
It just doesn't work - it only serves to ensure victory for the Democrats.