Sen. John McCain, considered the front-runner for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, intends to launch an exploratory committee next week, party officials said Friday. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid pre-empting a public statement from the four-term Arizona senator. McCain, the Republican maverick who unsuccessfully sought his party's nomination in 2000, already has opened a bank account for the committee, officials said. "The senator has made no decision about running for president," said Eileen McMenamin, a McCain spokeswoman. Aides to McCain say the senator will discuss a presidential bid with his family over the end-of-the-year Christmas holiday....
