There's nothing paranoid about realizing that McCain is a player, and will be in three years. If he wants to be, Guiliani will be as well.
Somebody else may emerge, but he/she is going to have a big hill to climb.
McCain has health and age working against him.
You useless morons - every conservative grassroots organization in America (which a Republican MUST have to win) like Focus on the Family is going to tear McCain a new asshole the second McCain's Bullshit Express rolls into Iowa.
The grassroots feels they didn't get much out of Bush beyond modest taxcuts and Foreign policy, and the conservatives WILL be looking for a solid conservative, not another moderate like Bush ie that means NO RUDY or MCCAIN!
McCain self destructed in the campaign for the 2000 presidential run.
In fact after he was DOA, at the Republican Convention, he (on nation wide TV) did the following ...
"A display of John McCains anger, live on MSNBC. As he walked through a crowd on his way to delivering his concession speech Tuesday night, NBCs Maria Shriver asked him "how do you feel?" McCain spun around and sternly commanded Shriver: "Please get out of here." The rebuke stunned MSNBC anchor Brian Williams."
From here
McCain may be a force, but he is uncontrollable under pressure and can be programmed to implode. The Karl Rove replacement should be able to deal with him.
JMHO