A little context is in order.
Without Baker, GWB would never have been President, because he would not have survived the 2000 recount. Baker led and oversaw the totality of getting Bush successfully through the courts and the electoral college.
Disdain for McCain? Yes, I coined it here, BUT he has been unrelenting in supporting the WOT and denouncing the bipartisan surrender. Of all the presidential aspirants, I believe McCain would be the most aggressive in prosecuting the global WOT.
I'm not a big McCain fan, but to give him his due, he's been very solid on the wot. In fact I'm willing to bet that the country would rally behind him more than they mostly don't for Dubya. Defeating the I-F's is the most important challenge our country faces in the decades ahead. All other issues are secondary. McCain, for all his faults, seems willing to accept that challenge.