BBC NEWS | Americas | Bush says Kerry was 'more heroic'

THis is a bit of a no-win situation. Bush *says* the decent thing. But we can't possibly reward him for it by actually voting for him. So next time, there's less incentive for a politician to do likewise.

How the hell do we meaningfully signal approval for the good things bad politicians do? How do we encourage them in the right direction in a first past the post system?