If I had to rank my preferences for this election, they would be:

1. Bush by a lot (most preferred)
2. Kerry by a lot
3. Kerry by a little
4. Bush by a little (least preferred)

I'd rather there be a clear winner in a more-or-less landslide victory than any sort of a tight race. If it had to be a tight race, I'd rather see Kerry win because I think it would be better for the country in the long term not to have the Democratic party self-destruct. If the race wasn't going to be tight, I'd rather have Bush over Kerry because I can't trust Kerry to handle the war.

I'm not sure whether I got #1 or #4 so far. It's looking like #4. Even though the race is not being contested, I don't see any significant change among the anyone-but-Bush wing of the Democratic party. I don't buy the argument that it's too soon to look for it - if you are going to be gracious and supportive of a candidate you mistrust, I think you would need all the practice you could get -- and necessarily, would need to start immediately. I certainly planned to.