Although White said current Reform Party rules would make it virtually impossible for McCain to get his name on the party ballot, the troubled party might decide to alter its rules to accommodate the Arizona senator.

Even if the Reform Party does welcome McCain, the senator faces other logistical problems if he wishes to switch parties. He would have to drop out of the Republican Party and thus lose his spot as chair of the Senate Commerce Committee.

"The practical side of that is that it's very unlikely that McCain could get on the ballot," White said.

Another theory has McCain becoming Bush's running mate. This arrangement would help solve Bush's perceived alienation from moderates and independents.

Presidential nominees have chosen their primary opponents as running mates before. In 1980, Ronald Reagan selected George H.W. Bush after a contested primary season. John F. Kennedy '40 chose primary opponent Lyndon B. Johnson in 1960. Both nominees won their general elections.

The chances of Bush and McCain running together are currently slim, however, simply because the two have spent months attacking each other and are not likely to reconcile their differences by the summer.

"They'll be a lot of Republican operatives that would want [McCain] on the ticket," White said. "But the two are not likely compatible enough."