So What's He Been Doing the Last Several Months?

I know this is how it works, but it is still a bit silly:

After a smash-hit opening act, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean returns home on Monday to formally launch his presidential campaign and begin the job of proving he is more than a one-note anti-war candidate.

I mean, as if he wasn't already running? This is just an artifact of all the arcane rules governing campaign finance and media treatment of candidates than anything else. In other words, this is more an announcement of a move from one legal category to another than some dramatic statement of intent.

Source: Dean to Launch White House Campaign in Vermont