What if McCain chose Colin Powell as his VP? Would that make the McCain a shoe-in?
Not unless McCain and Powel became members of a different party.
As much as anything its the party hurting McCain.
And more pointedly.
George Bush
I'd be willing to bet that if you went out on the street and randomly selected strangers and asked them who the first person that came to mind when you said the word "republican"
most would say "George Bush"
Right now the climate is
Republican = Bush
Bush = bad
McCain not only has to distance himself from Bush.
But he has to do so in an almost vicious manner for him to stand a chance