Replacing McCain in the Senate?

Rumors are swirling that Sen. John McCain might pull a "Bob Dole" and step down from his Senate seat, to focus on running for president (he says he has no current plans to do so).

As McCain has noted in a recent blogger call I participated in, the analogy isn't perfect; Dole was the Majority Leader in 1996, and thus, his responsibilities were greater. Still, an interesting possibility.

Of course, in a perfect world, McCain would be elected president, and Republicans would retain his seat. Either way, the prospects of replacing McCain with a Senator John Shadegg or a Senator Jeff Flake, would probably be welcome news to many conservatives ...