The great Joe Sestak tease continues.

Call it the world’s longest political announcement. We’ve been reporting for some time that Sestak is going to run. Earlier this week we noted that he has received the green light from his wife and is still talking with his young daughter about it.

That has not stopped him from kicking off a 67-county tour of the state to let everyone know that he is kind of, sort of, you know, getting ready to announce that he is going to get into the race against Arlen Specter for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate.

All that remains is for Sestak to call a press conference and make if official.

During one of his interviews yesterday Sestak again tossed out the kind of quote that makes reporters salivate.

“I am going to get into the race against Arlen Specter,” he told the Wayne Independent in northeastern Pennsylvania.

Sounds like he’s running, right? It’s what he’s been saying for weeks now, ever since Specter bailed on the Republican Party and was welcomed with open arms by most in the Democratic Party, including its leaders, but not Sestak.

The blogosphere picked up the quote and soon it was rattling around the cyberworld. I’m guessing that’s pretty much exactly what Sestak intended.

Except that it was not a formal announcement. Who knows when that is coming.

But for a guy whose biggest problem is a lack of statewide recognition, every story that gets picked up on the wires or linked to on the Internet is another chip in that wall.

At this point, I don’t really think Sestak has much choice. He’s going to run. All that’s left is the announcement.

But not before a few more teases.

On Tuesday our front page carried this lead headline: Joe to Go! The story was Sestak taking one more step toward a formal announcement.

Call it 99.999 percent.

Expect another quote that he’s getting into the race any day now.