Washington ? It’s almost as if Sen. John Kerry never stopped running for president.

He still jets across the country, raising millions of dollars and rallying Democrats. He still stalks the TV news show circuit, scolding President Bush at every turn.

His campaign Web site boasts 3 million supporters.

The Massachusetts Democrat, defeated by Bush in 2004, insists it is far too early to talk about the 2008 race, but some analysts assume he has already positioning himself for another shot at the White House.

While most losing presidential nominees quickly fade into the political landscape, Kerry has worked hard at maintaining a high public profile.

“He’s continuing the fight he began in 2004,” said Kerry spokesman David Wade. “He wants to make it very clear he’s a fighter who is going to continue to fight for his agenda.”

Borrowing a page from Republican Sen. John McCain’s 2000 postelection playbook, Kerry has kept much of his presidential political organization intact. He also has used his fundraising prowess to aid Democrats across the country, collecting chits that could be called if he seeks the party’s White House nomination.

Traveling extensively since his 2004 loss, Kerry generated nearly $5.3 million for candidates, state parties and charitable causes, according to aides.

Despite such political spadework, Kerry can expect an uphill fight in 2008.

In 2008, Democrats will probably be eager for a fresh face, said Neal Thigpen, a political science professor at South Carolina’s Francis Marion University, citing New York Sen. Hillary Clinton’s lead in early polls and her ability to raise large sums of money.

“There’s not a lot of fire out there for Kerry,” he said.