U.S. Sen. John Kerry still thinks he's a presidential contender, but the only way he is getting into the White House is on a tour.

Kerry killed his chances for a second shot at the nation's top job when he flubbed a joke that wasn't particularly funny in the first place. Although he had no intent to insult the intelligence of American troops serving in Iraq, he did so when a zinger aimed at President Bush missed its intended target.

The miscue also angered Democrats, who worried (unnecessarily, as it turned out) that it would slow their momentum heading into the mid-term elections.

If American voters had any support or sympathy for Kerry, it apparently is gone.

A Quinnipiac University poll released last week that gauged the popularity of America's top politicians had him scraping the bottom of the barrel — dead last.

The survey of 1,623 registered voters nationwide was taken the week after the Democrats won back Congress. They were asked to rate the warmth of their feelings — on a scale of 0-100 — toward 20 leaders. Kerry got a 39.6 rating.

Of course, no one was exceptionally popular.

Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani topped the poll with a rating of 64.2. Sen. John McCain placed third with a 57.7 rating and Sen. Hillary Clinton was 9th at 49.

Still, Kerry's low numbers give him little cause to believe he has a legitimate shot at the White House in 2008. Heck, even President Bush is rated better, placing 15th on the list

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with a 43.8 rating.

"As we enter the presidential campaign of 2008, Giuliani and McCain clearly are in enviable positions," says Peter Brown, assistant director of Quinnipiac's Polling Institute. "They are well regarded and most Americans are quite familiar with them."

Kerry also placed behind Sen. Bill Frist, who scored a 41.5. Frist, who is majority leader, had considered running for president, but dropped out this week.

On the Democratic side, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois is in an impressive position — placing second with a rating of 58.8.

Obama, who was elected in 2004, is being urged by some Democrats to run for president largely because of his charisma. That charm could serve him well, given that four in 10 Americans surveyed by Quinnipiac didn't know enough about him to rate him.

Clinton has been the front-running Democrat in most 2008 presidential surveys. She may have trouble gaining broader support for herself. People know her and have strong feelings about her — good and bad.

She would be helped if some of her husband's charm rubbed off on her.

"Former President Clinton remains more popular than his wife and much better thought of by the American public than the current occupant of the Oval Office," Brown said. "Whether that aura can be transferred to his wife in a campaign, and whether it would be an asset to her in the campaign, should she run, is the $64,000 question."

As tough as it looks for Kerry, Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., could have more problems. Dodd is running an exploratory campaign for president, but didn't even make Quinnipiac's cut this time to be included in the survey.

Dodd earned a 39.8 rating in a similar survey in September but was dropped this time in favor of New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who scored a 47.7 rating. Richardson is on the short list of presidential contenders.

Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., may not be on anyone's presidential contender list since his short-lived 2004 campaign but he was included in the Quinnipiac surveys — scoring a 52.7 this time and a 49.5 rating in September.

Peter Urban, who covers Washington, can be reached by e-mail at purban@ctpost.com.