Is the GOP presidential nominee even running yet?

[Geee]

Washington Examiner:

The field of Republicans running for president in 2012 is already crowded, but the eventual nominee may be someone who has not even joined the race yet, at least not officially.
Several candidates, including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman and Texas Gov. Rick Perry, are waiting on the sidelines, edging closer to jumping into the race as they watch a field of committed candidates fail to excite the public. And the unannounced candidates have a real shot at capturing the nomination, GOP strategists say.

Giuliani is already tied with or running ahead of the field's presumed front-runner, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, in several polls even though Romney jumped into the race last week and Giuliani has made no decision.

The lack of enthusiasm among Republican voters for the current candidates was evident in a recent Pew Research poll, which found that only a quarter of voters held an excellent or good impression of their party's field.

"Asked for a single word to describe the GOP field," Pew researchers reported, "the top response is 'unimpressed.' "

"The field is as wide open as any time on the Republican side in well over half a century," said Republican pollster Whit Ayres.