In mid-2001, before the September 11, 2001 attacks, Sen. John McCain was alarmed by President Dubya's reversals of compassionate conservatism and Sen. Jim Jeffords' switch to the Democratic Party......McCain felt Bush was too rightwing and proved him right in the '00 primaries.....
If McCain left the GOP in June 2001, what would have happened? Would Colin Powell have left the Bush White House and joined McCain on a unity ticket in 2004? Would Zell Miller have joined?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2001/06/02/mccain-is-considering-leaving-gop/454e70ae-6aa9-4cfa-8891-4f2a17ef8203/
