McCain/Hagel in 2008 as an independent party would hurt the democrats more than the republicans.They will never get the republican party nod.
What they should do is run two independent-independent campaigns.
Then we can have an independents view of an independents view.
Why stop at two, we can have that other gentleman who was also reluctantly in Vietnam, we all know him fondly as "rice in the bum", and his crazy rich bimbo wife.