Brett Favre is a serial waffler when it comes to retirement, and small as that sin might be, it’s enough to put him somewhere between Simon Cowell and Michael Vick on the National Register of Villains.

If you’re a Bears fan and you don’t want to see Favre join the Vikings, OK, that’s understandable. You think he would be an upgrade over Tarvaris Jackson for Minnesota and thus be more of a threat to the Bears’ hopes of winning the NFC North in 2009. I get it.

You hate the way Favre treated the Bears like a punching bag when he was with the Packers all those years. I get that too.

But the please-go-away sentiments sent his way are well beyond what some fans in Chicago think. I Googled “go away Favre” and found page after page of the same angry plea from bloggers. Sports fans all over the country are tired of Favre retiring and unretiring like a boxer.

And yet: That’s enough to produce a tidal wave of anger?

It’s wrong to change your mind, even multiple times?

I’m tired of writing glowing farewells to Favre, but after getting past the irritation of his inability to make up his mind, I come back to one thought: Is he still good enough to be a starting quarterback in the NFL? And the answer is yes.

What damage would Favre do to the Vikings that Jackson isn’t capable of doing? You’re right: Favre’s arrival in Minnesota could delay the start of the Sage Rosenfels Era.

Which of the three quarterbacks do you think Lovie Smith would not want to see play against his Bears?

Favre’s a surefire Hall of Famer who is 17 months removed from the NFC championship game. He was the runner-up to Tom Brady as the NFL’s most valuable player in that 2007 season.

He played well for the Jets last year until he got hurt.

Has he been selfish? Yes, just like every other professional athlete with a burning desire to compete.

He’s still better than half the quarterbacks in the league. And more compelling than most of them.

Unless there’s a limit on the number of times a player can retire, what’s the problem? Nobody is making the Vikings pursue Favre, just as nobody made the Jets acquire him last season. If my memory is correct, Jets fans treated his arrival last year as if it were a papal visit. And now they’re angry because management got rid of Chad Pennington in 2008 to make room for Favre. Pennington — the guy they used to hate.

If Favre is so washed up, why would the Vikings, last year’s division champions, want him?

He recently had arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder, a procedure widely seen as an indication he again is coming out of retirement. Talks between the veteran quarterback and Minnesota apparently are ongoing. Favre has been throwing a football to gauge his readiness.

The Vikings were 10-6 last season. They were 8-3 with Gus Frerotte at quarterback until he hurt his back.

If Favre, at 39, is overstaying his welcome, then somebody needs to explain the Rolling Stones’ sellout concerts to me.

I understand the frustration. I understand the head-shaking.

But for me, it comes down to a simple truth: I would rather see Brett Favre play than not play, assuming he’s healthy.