What will it be, Senator Kerry?

THIS TIME, it will be harder for John Kerry to have it two ways. He can't be for and against a presidential campaign. The pressure is on to choose: Will he run for president or Senate in 2008?

Kerry can't be a presidential nominee and candidate for US Senate on the November 2008 ballot -- a longshot, but still a technical possibility. The state Legislature and governor could change the law, as Connecticut once did for Senator Joe Lieberman. But that seems unlikely, and Kerry seems disinclined to find out.

Kerry adviser Ed Reilly said, "With the end of the year coming up, the senator has indicated that he will begin to turn his attention" to a decision about '08. "The first step will be consultation with Senator Kennedy and other colleagues," Reilly said.

These are especially awkward political times for the Bay State's junior senator.

At home, the common reaction to an '08 bid is "Kerry's done." Said one bigtime Democratic fund-raiser, "I haven't found a human being who is enthusiastic about his campaign and willing to support him. I don't know anyone in Massachusetts who is willing to sign on."

These down-on-Kerry Democrats are still off the record. This is Massachusetts, where people prefer to keep their backstabbing confidential. US Senator Hillary Clinton of New York is popular here. There's also interest in John Edwards, the former senator from North Carolina who was Kerry's running mate in 2004. During the gubernatorial campaign, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois came to the state several times on behalf of Deval Patrick, and Patrick's victory tweaks further interest in Obama.

Pre-gaffe, Kerry spent the past year traveling and raising money on behalf of Democratic candidates and finally seemed to have a strong, cohesive anti war message. But the bungled joke heard around the world -- if you're not educated you get "stuck in Iraq" -- cemented the feeling that Kerry won't get another shot at president. "I doubt he could get invited to a party event anywhere . . . maybe he and Karl Rove could break bread together," said pollster John Gorman of Cambridge-based Opinion Dynamics, summing up Kerry's post-joke, skunk-at-the-garden-party aura.

With midterm elections over, Kerry is now trying to put the incident behind him. He begins today in the lion's den. He is scheduled to do a Fox News interview, and expects to be asked about the unfunny joke, the war in Iraq, the Democratic agenda in Congress -- and his viability as a presidential candidate.

Colleagues in the Massachusetts delegation would have no problem wishing Kerry well if he ran for president. Then they could run for Kerry's open Senate seat. US Representatives Martin Meehan and Stephen Lynch are both considered potential candidates in that scenario. Others mentioned include Joe Kennedy; Christopher Gabrieli, the venture capitalist who lost to Patrick in the primary; and former attorney general Scott Harshbarger.

Don't expect Kerry to worry about anyone's timetable but his own. Candidates for his Senate seat can first take out papers of intent in February 2008. The deadline for filing the necessary 10,000 signatures is May 6, 2008. That means that Kerry could spend 2007 doing what he has been doing -- retesting the presidential waters, while popping up strategically in Washington. With Democrats now in control of Congress, Kerry will chair the Committee on Small Business, giving him a platform on issues such as healthcare and the minimum wage. He also plans to play a role in the critical debate over Iraq war policy.

But ultimately Kerry must decide whether to run for president or not. Would-be presidential contenders on the Republican side, such as Senator John McCain of Arizona and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuiliani, are lining up quickly. Democrats like Edwards are expected to announce their intentions soon; those now enjoying majority party status in Congress may hold off . At home, Kerry can also expect pressure from the media to make up his mind about running for president or US senator.

As Kerry well knows, politics is not for the faint of heart, nor for the ambivalent.

Joan Vennochi's e-mail address is vennochi@globe.com.