If Perot was not in the race were would those conservative votes have gone? Perot got nearly 19% of the of the vote in 1992... The Donks cry that Nader cost them the 2000 election and he got only 3% of the vote...
It will be very hard to hold the White House in 2008 in any circumstance, because of the desire of the American people for a "change," fueled of course by the MSM Democratic handmaidens.
McCain may be the only GOP candidate with the national presence and name recognition who can defeat Hillary, depending upon the state of the economy, Iraq, and other considerations.
And the MSM pressure on women -- regardless of their ideology -- to support the first female candidate for President will be immense and unrelenting.