But he's only ever really yearned for two of them, Gwen (which is more guilt than anything), and MJ. Any time he does'nt pay MJ a second thought is grossly out-of-character (much of Slott's run), and even then, Spencer fixed that by having Peter admit to MJ that nothing worked without her.
It's not a question of propping up a favourite 'ship in a debate, it has everything to do with knowing the character and history.