Roy Barnes might have com off as a second Bill Clinton, which might have helped him. Since Barnes is from a fairly conservative state, he, like Clinton, would have an easier time playing to the middle than Kerry.
However, Barnes could easily be cariactured. Sonny Perdue's campaign helped defeat Barnes by using a puppet f a giant rat named "King Roy," in an attempt to portray him as a power grabbing despot. I could easily see a Bush ad reviving the rat image with Roy as they used the wind-surfing image with Kerry.
Barnes, running for the Democratic nomination, would have to run to the left, more so than when he was governor of Georgia. In 1990, Barnes tried to run to the right of Zell Miller, who was campaigning as a liberal! Such is single-party politics. Bush, though not as effectively as with Kerry, might be able to portray the Georgian as a flip-flopper.
As for Roy's running mate, my money who'd either be on a New Englander (Dean or Kerry) or a midwesterner (Gephardt). Heck, Richardson might have been considered to take some of Bush's support among Hispanics.
Anyway Barnes 2010, glad to talk to a fellow Georgian on the boards.
By the way, Pierre Howard would most likely succeed Barnes unless the Republicans would have captured the Governor's seat in 2006: either Casey Cagle, Herman Cain, or even Ralph Reed (depending on butterflies).
One more thing, since Barnes appointed Zell Miller to the Senate seat vacated by the late Paul Coverdell, Miller would be in an interesting situation. Miller's hawkish leanings might still put him in the Bush camp, depending on where Roy stood on the Iraq War question.
It's always good to have a fellow Georgian!
I forgot about that rat thing, God how I hate that thing. But I think you're right it that Bush would have used it like Kerry's flip-flopping, although he would have had a much harder time translating the "King Roy" and "too much, too fast" image nationally - seeing as that style of management actually worked!
I doubt that Pierre would have run for Governor in 2006; I remember him being pushed from the '98 race because of some kind of scandal. Not quite sure what...