This occurred to me as I was reading the Rude Pundit's usual castigation of Bush: when you take sides in a bitterly contested fight, you demonise the opposite side. You cheer their misfortunes, gloat over their mistakes and revel in their miseries. But once the battle has been won, I always find that a wave of pity and tenderness washes over me as I contemplate the plight of the loser; all his sins are instantly forgiven. He returns to being a human being as prone to making mistakes as anybody else, probably wracked by feelings of self-doubt and vulnerability.

I wouldn't mind feeling some of this pathos for Bush on November 3 :-)