WASHINGTON – Senator McCain, a Republican of Arizona, a man in perpetual motion, flew to South Carolina on January 16. His stops included a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. and speeches to local Republican groups. But one of his most important events was not on the public schedule – a 5 p.m. meeting at a Spartanburg hotel with loyalists to President Bush.

A dozen or so people were in attendance. At least two were among Mr. Bush’s major national fund-raisers. Virtually all had been on Mr. Bush’s side in the bitter 2000 South Carolina primary that badly damaged Mr. McCain’s chances of winning the presidential nomination and scarred the relationship between the two men and their rival political camps. Mr. McCain was there to woo them.

“For people who were really strong for Bush, I feel like this was a dating meeting,” Mr. Bush’s state finance cochairman in 2000 and 2004 and a Pioneer for Bush both times, Barry Wynn, said, meaning he raised $100,000 for each campaign. “He’s not quite ready to ask us to go steady. But I was a little surprised at the reaction, including my own reaction. I was much more positive than I thought I’d be going to the meeting.”

With a 2008 campaign in the offing, Mr. McCain has begun an intensive courtship of Mr. Bush’s financial and political networks. His recent travels included a December swing through the heart of Bush country in Texas that put him in front of many of the president’s leading supporters there.

In 2000, Mr. McCain proved better at attracting independent voters than Republicans, and his success in overcoming doubts about him within his own party holds the key to his prospective candidacy. As Republicans look toward 2008 and worry about maintaining the White House, a streak of pragmatism has drawn them to look again at a man who often has been an antagonist of the president and party leaders.

Mr. McCain, who was not interviewed, will not make a final decision about running until after November, aides said. In anticipation of a likely campaign, he appears eager to reach accommodation with longtime GOP adversaries. He has undertaken the kind of practical steps necessary to enhance his chances of winning the nomination, focusing on organizations in states critical to winning the GOP nomination and building relationships with Republicans who rejected him in 2000.

There are many obstacles. Many conservatives, particularly social conservatives, still distrust him. His outreach to party insiders could threaten his appeal as a maverick. His mercurial personality could still cause problems with some of those with whom he has sought to mend relations. His age, now 69, could deter some voters.

But recent events and Mr. McCain’s record have coincided to make the Arizona senator newly attractive to many Republicans. After the scandal involving lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Republicans are scrambling to associate themselves with Mr. McCain’s image as a reformer. They also praise Mr. McCain for his role in smoothing the confirmation of Mr. Bush’s judicial nominations.

Mr. McCain’s upcoming schedule, which includes trips to New Hampshire, Iowa, Ohio, California, Florida, Minnesota, Arkansas, and New Jersey, reflects the convergence between his political ambitions and his growing demand among Republicans. “The McCain brand in this environment is something people want, and they’re breaking down the door of McCain’s operation to get an appearance or an endorsement,” a GOP strategist, David Carney, said.

Fiscal conservatives, alarmed by the ballooning federal deficit on the president’s watch, have been drawn to Mr. McCain as someone who says he can rein in spending – though they remain suspicious of his commitment to tax cuts.

Most important may be the admiration Mr. McCain earned for his steadfast support of Mr. Bush in the 2004 campaign and his unyielding defense of the president’s decision to go to war in Iraq. Despite a public quarrel with Mr. Bush over torture policy late last year, a number of Republicans loyal to Mr. Bush now see Mr. McCain as perhaps best positioned to continue the president’s national security policies.

As the torture policy battle showed, Mr. McCain is not reluctant to challenge the White House, even as he reaches out to Bush supporters. Relations between the Bush and McCain camps have improved, but there is no assumption on the part of Mr. McCain advisers that Mr. Bush will lend him any direct support if he runs for president.