John McCain went on the Late Show with David Letterman to officially pre-announce that he will announce he's running for president in April. In this age of phased campaign rollouts, this is noteworthy because previously he had only indicated he was planning to announce that he would be announcing his candidacy.

"The last time we were on this program, I'm sure you remember everything very clearly, but you asked me if would come back on the show if I was going to announce," McCain told Letterman. "I am announcing that I will be a candidate for President of the United States."

After the crowd broke into applause and the music quieted down, McCain turned to band leader Paul Shaffer and asked, "Can we try that again?" He then hummed Hail to the Chief. (Watch the video clip).

McCain later qualified his announcement, saying, "This is the announcement preceding the formal announcement. You know you drag this out as long as you can. You don't just have one rendition. You’ve got to do it over and over."

To which Letterman replied, "How do you think that makes me feel?"

By turning to a late-night comedy show for his semi-official announcement, McCain continues a trend that started with Arnold Schwarzenegger's announcement on The Tonight Show that he was running for California governor, followed by John Edwards' announcement of his 2004 presidential candidacy on The Daily Show.

"That just leaves Al Gore announcing for president on The Weather Channel," writes Howard Mortman over at Extreme Mortman.

See also:
In Newly Usual Way, McCain Says He’ll Run (New York Times)
The Washington Guide to Late-Night Comedy (The Politico)
When Presidents Are Funnier Than Comedians (The Politico)

• Related: Today’s Videos | Letterman Videos | Late-Night Jokes | Election 2008