> we don’t know who the votes would have gone to in 2004, because many votes are never counted in states where the vote is not close. If all votes were counted in 2004, John F’n Kerry might have had more. <
Possible, but not likely. And the same may be said about the 2000 election.
IIRC, President Bush was reelected with a 3 million popular vote lead. Kerry could not have had 3 million more absentee votes than the President. Even if the absentees went for Kerry by a two to one ratio, there would need to have been 9 million uncounted absentee ballots - roughly 7% of the total.