Well, it seems as if he did. Back in the winter and spring of 2001 before Jim Jefforts left to become an Independent, John McCain was seriously considering leaving the Republican Party as well.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was close to leaving the Republican Party in 2001, weeks before then-Sen. Jim Jeffords (Vt.) famously announced his decision to become an Independent, according to former Democratic lawmakers who say they were involved in the discussions.

In interviews with The Hill this month, former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and ex-Rep. Tom Downey (D-N.Y.) said there were nearly two months of talks with the maverick lawmaker following an approach by John Weaver, McCain’s chief political strategist.

Democrats had contacted Jeffords and then-Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.) in the early months of 2001 about switching parties, but in McCain’s case, they said, it was McCain’s top strategist who came to them.

At the end of their March 31, 2001 lunch at a Chinese restaurant in Bethesda, Md., Downey said Weaver asked why Democrats hadn’t asked McCain to switch parties.

Downey, a well-connected lobbyist, said he was stunned.

“You’re really wondering?” Downey said he told Weaver. “What do you mean you’re wondering?”

“Well, if the right people asked him,” Weaver said, according to Downey, adding that he responded, “The calls will be made. Who do you want?” Weaver this week said he did have lunch with Downey that spring, pointing out that he and Downey “are very good friends.”

Well, that does kind of make sense with all of McCain’s liberal and independent tenancies.

I still think John McCain is going to have a really tough time getting the Conservative Republican vote if he is the candidate in November. Just because he is the lesser of two evils, does not mean he’s right for the job.

He’s just too far out there on several very important issues with the major issue being illegal immigration.

Which for the life of me, I cannot understand since his home state of Arizona is inundated with Illegal Immigrants. Which tells me he just does not care what people really care about.