There’s a lesson for political watchers in the spate of recent exploratory candidacies that have roared out of the gate but fizzled just shy of the actual starting buzzer: Candidates who put off announcing usually don’t ultimately run.

Generally speaking, candidates delay announcements for two reasons, a wise person reminds us — because there’s a strategic plan to delay becoming a target (and fundraising is not a concern), or because the candidate has reservations about running.

When candidates have reservations, they usually don’t get resolved by the passage of time (witness Harold Ford Jr., who badly wanted to be senator but insiders said couldn’t see a path).