I can’t quite figure this out.

As Democratic candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton bicker over who between them is “qualified” to be president, they and fellow Democrats keep tossing the faintest of praise toward a Republican presidential candidate.

Here’s how it’s going.

Reporters keep badgering Sanders and Clinton about what they have said about each other’s qualifications. They both say the essentially the same thing about the other candidate: “I would prefer Secretary Clinton/Sen. Sanders any day over either Donald Trump or Ted Cruz.”

Tonight, former Democratic candidate Martin O’Malley said he’d prefer either Clinton or Sanders over Trump or Cruz.

That’s four of the five candidates accounted for.

But what about the fifth one? Ohio Gov. John Kasich?

Neither Clinton or Sanders mention Kasich in the same breath with Trump and Cruz?

I am left to presume one of two things:

Either they secretly admire Gov. Kasich’s adult conduct during this campaign and his political background or … they believe he’s no longer a serious threat to become the Republican presidential nominee.

I hate to think they’re writing him off.

I also know better than to think Clinton and Sanders have some sort of secret admiration for someone who — if lightning strikes or Earth spins off its axis in the next 20 minutes — well might oppose one of them in this year’s presidential campaign.

I’m betting Kasich is going to take his non-mention in this bickering as a form of compliment.