Reports have begun to circulate, just as they did in 2001 that Senator John McCain was in discussions to leave the Republican Party and become and Independent. As the leading Republican candidate for President right now, one has to wonder whether he is an actually Republican. One thing is for certain, John McCain is not a conservative Republican. According to a report I read in the Hill Newspaper some leading Democrats in 20021 approached and had conversations with John McCain about leaving the Republican Party, including John Edwards and then Senate minority leader Tom Daschle. According to the report, John McCain was very close to making the announcement and would have if Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont hadn’t beat him to the punch.  In the primaries so far he has not been able to capture the Republican base. He has won in states that are not strong Republican states. For instance in the South Carolina primary, it was an open primary in which 36% of his vote came from Democrats and Independents. He won Florida, but that is a state with so many different ethnic, religious, and age groups that it is hard to identify which party is stronger in Florida. The third state he won was New Hampshire, which he also won against Bush and is definitely not a Republican hot bed. I received an email from individuals in Florida who claim that John McCain’s immigration plan is not tough on border security, in fact he does not want to close the borders. However he has tried to keep this quiet in order to try and sure up some Republican support.  This can be very concerning for Republicans.  There are many Republicans out there who are going to be very conflicted if their choice is between John McCain and Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama.  Who do you pick, apparently none of those candidates are Republicans?  This election may very well come down to choosing the lesser of two evils for the Republican base, or staying at home and choosing no one.  A disinterested Republican base is a sure fire way for the Democrats, regardless of their nominee to easily walk into the White House. John McCain has already come out and denied that he ever considered changing parties, but the question still needs to be asked, is John McCain a true Republican?