In his dreams?

See what happens when you pardon a convict even before punishment or without demanding an act of contrition. The convict not only insists he is innocent, he even believes he is qualified to lead the nation again.

Depending on his mood and the person asking the question, deposed President Joseph Estrada changes his response from one day to the next when asked if he plans to seek the presidency in 2010.

But it’s hard not to sense the longing in his heart of hearts for the office that he insists was stolen from him.

Even his children are saying, at least in public, that what their father underwent during people power II was so traumatic they preferred that he stay out of any race for the presidency.

But there are signs that Erap hasn’t given up on his quest for full vindication through the ballot.

It’s going to be the happiest birthday in seven years for Erap, who will be celebrating for the first time since 2001 as a free man.

As an advance birthday gift, his loyalists in the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino have presented him with 80,250 signatures urging him to seek the presidency again in 2010.

The Constitution, which limits the president to a single six-year term, bars an elected president from “any” re-election.

The wording seems clear enough to me, and obviously to former presidents Corazon Aquino and Fidel Ramos, who have made no move to seek re-election.

But there are others who think that Erap is a special case because he did not finish even half of his term, and he therefore has legal wiggle room to have a second shot at the presidency.

Among those who seem to think this way is Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno, who was one of the prime movers behind the pardon for Erap. Puno was also the one who pushed for the inclusion in the pardon of the full restoration of the former president’s political rights — the reason Erap can vote again. Whether that full restoration allows Erap to seek public office — the presidency in particular — will have to be decided by the Supreme Court.

Regardless of his political plans for 2010, Erap is back in the political game, a kingmaker if not (yet) a king. His dramatic comeback is a constant reminder that in this country, the rich and influential can get away with anything.

*      *      *

For now there is reportedly one thing that is tempering Erap’s dream of returning to power: surveys show him trailing the other individuals known to be eyeing the 2010 race. Erap is said to have ranked seventh in his own internal survey.

Vice President Noli de Castro, Sen. Loren Legarda and Senate President Manny Villar are vying for the top slot in the surveys. Erap has said he will simply endorse whoever the opposition picks as its common candidate.

But Erap is just getting started in winning back hearts and minds; he has two years to go. On his birthday he is distributing rice, that most precious of commodities, to the poor.

Erap is insisting that the food crisis may be real in other parts of the world, but in this country the crisis is artificial, meant to divert public attention from corruption scandals that lead all the way to Malacañang.

This is one of his current themes as he touches base with his supporters and reaches out to critics.

Bum knee notwithstanding, he has been touring the country, ostensibly to thank the people for their continued support during his years in detention.

Erap still has formidable charm, and he is still mobbed by the poor during his visits. There are those who are hoping that he can again translate that popularity into votes.

But Filipino voters have started showing maturity in picking public officials.

People still swoon over celebrities, and they will mob boxing champion Manny Pacquiao anywhere he shows up in public. But he was clobbered by his youthful opponent in the congressional race last year.

Former First Lady Imelda Marcos is also mobbed in Manila’s slums, but it’s doubtful that she will get the votes in case she seeks national office.

Erap will argue that unlike Pacquiao, he is no neophyte in politics, and his party machinery remains intact to propel him to whatever office he seeks.

Erap’s endorsement of an opposition candidate in 2010 also hinges on whether the fractious opposition can agree on a common bet.

At this time opposition unity seems like a pipe dream, and it looks like there will be several candidates in 2010, with the winner getting a plurality of the votes.

In that kind of race, Erap will have an edge. Pollsters say that through the years Erap has enjoyed the solid support of 30 percent of the population. Even if that percentage slips a bit, if it translates into votes, Erap can return to Malacañang in 2010 – if he is allowed to run.

*      *      *

Jose Melo, the new chairman of the Commission on Elections, has declined to comment on that possibility.

The thought of Erap’s re-election is spooking those who remember President Erap’s work ethic – the late-night carousing with bottles of Petrus given as gifts by cronies with vested interests, the many families and their vested interests, the gambling and stock manipulation.

And while the stories may have long been buried by our short memories, the families of missing Pagcor employee Edgar Bentain and murdered publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito are still awaiting justice.

Yet if we can forget the atrocities, more numerous and worse, during the Marcos dictatorship, it is easier to forget the sins attributed to the short-lived presidency of Erap.

The Marcoses are fully rehabilitated. Erap is on his way to full rehabilitation at dizzying speed.

In this country, freedom means you don’t pay – not for crime, anyway, whether it’s coup d’etat, double murder or plunder.

Erap is free to dream, and plan for its fulfillment.