"Brownback"ing the Presidential race.

Today I received an email (mass produced, I can tell) from Senator Sam BrownBack, Republican of Kansas, telling me that "if you want YOUR pro-life and YOUR pro-marriage views to be represented in the Republican primary, then it's absolutely crucial that you act today to make sure your voice is heard." Of course, ya'll know what comes next, right? Yep, send money. On the Democratic side, Governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, starts his "exploration" today, as I reported here. His race gives us a break from the constant stream of Senators who have either formed, or are in the process of forming, "exploratory" committees. It must be something in the water at the Senate, I guess. But what gives with all of these "explorings" anyway? Why don't they just go ahead and do what we know they'll do -- which is run -- rather than tease with the exploration committees?