GOP candidates waiting and hoping for 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) — Get ready for the big tease.

Republicans positioning for a possible presidential run are, to varying degrees, courting donors, testing messages and plotting strategies. They're visiting early primary states, wooing key activists and, all the while, stirring interest as they gauge whether to launch full-fledged campaigns.

"We can see 2012 from our house," Sarah Palin quipped recently, setting off another round of will-she-or-won't-she speculation.

But even though Nov. 3 is the unofficial start of the 2012 campaign, don't expect a surge of Republicans to declare their intentions anytime soon.

From Mitt Romney to Tim Pawlenty, few if any GOP …