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OTTAWA — The race for the federal Liberal leadership effectivelybegins next week and Bob Rae seems poised to be first out of theblocks. Rae said Wednesday he'll decide by the end of this month whether totry turning his gig as interim leader into a permanent job. When Rae took on the interim post a year ago, the party's nationalexecutive made him promise he wouldn't use it as a launching pad torun for permanent leader. But there's been a change in membership on the executive since thenand current members are widely expected to release Rae from thatcommitment during a tentatively scheduled conference call on theevening of June 13. "It's an overwhelming consensus of the membership of the Liberalparty that he ought to be able to run," said Nova Scotia MP ScottBrison, calling the original prohibition against Rae "dumb" and"regrettable." Rae said it's up to the executive to make an independent decision,after which he'll decide whether to take the plunge. As he's doneall along, he declined to tip his hand. "How stupid do you think I am?" he joked as reporters tried to lurehim into weighing the odds of a Rae candidacy. However, Rae did make it clear he won't keep Liberals guessingabout his intentions for long if, as expected, he's allowed to run. "There will be a decision before the end of the session, I'm sure,one way or the other." The parliamentary session is scheduled to wrap up on June 22. There are very few Liberals who believe Rae won't run. Indeed,there have been signs that his campaign is already in gear, with atleast one organizer, Toronto MP Jim Karygiannis, signing upsupporters among ethnic communities across the country. Still, other prospective candidates have been reluctant to make anyfinal decisions about running until they know for sure whether Rae,a formidable contender who'd immediately be deemed the presumptivefront-runner, will be in the race. "Obviously, anybody who's a candidate is curious to see who's goingto be in the race," said Montreal MP Marc Garneau, who isreflecting on his own potential candidacy. "So for me to say, 'Oh, (Rae's decision has) got nothing to do withit,' would be disingenuous. I do want to see what the field lookslike." Rae ran third in the 2006 Liberal leadership race. He briefly threwhis hat in the ring in 2008 but withdrew early after it becameclear the party had rigged the rules to ensure a coronation forMichael Ignatieff, Rae's one-time college roommate. Ignatieff resigned last May after leading the party to its worstelection showing in history. The once mighty, self-styled naturalgoverning party was reduced to a third party rump with only 34seats, surpassed by the ascendant NDP. Rae's performance as interim leader has undoubtedly bolstered hischances of winning this time. "Mr. Rae's done a tremendous job for us," said Toronto MP JudySgro. "Let's be honest about it. It's been a tough year and Bob'sexperience and leadership and calmness has been good for ourmorale." Still, there is a strong faction of Liberals who are dead-setagainst Rae, many of whom believe he simply carries too muchbaggage from his single turbulent term as NDP premier of arecession-ravaged Ontario during the early 1990s. They are desperately hoping a strong contender will emerge who canbeat him. Some are pressuring Montreal MP Justin Trudeau -- therock star of Liberals with the iconic name -- to rethink hisdecision to stay out of the fray. Trudeau, who wants to devote time to his two young children,acknowledged in an interview that he's under a lot of pressure tochange his mind. "Yep, but I was born under a lot of pressure, wasn't I?" He added: "I haven't changed my mind." Among the tiny group of Liberals who managed to get re-elected lastyear, only Garneau, Ottawa MP David McGuinty, Vancouver MP JoyceMurray and New Brunswick MP Dominic LeBlanc are considering aleadership bid. Beyond them, a host of defeated MPs and failed Liberal candidates-- including Gerard Kennedy, Martha Hall Findlay, Mark Holland,Borys Wrzesnewskyj, Martin Cauchon, Deborah Coyne and DavidBertschi -- are mulling over their chances. Bertschi, a lawyer who ran unsuccessfully for the party last yearin the riding Ottawa-Orleans, has gone so far as to form an"exploratory committee" and has been criss-crossing the countrymeeting Liberals. Many Liberals would love to see a star "outsider" emerge as acontender, floating the names of dream candidates like QuebecJustice Minister Jean-Marc Fournier or Bank of Canada governor MarkCarney or Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi -- none of whom has expressedany interest in the job. The only so-called outsider to show interest thus far is Torontolawyer George Takach. Should Rae take the plunge, the Liberal caucus will have to choosea new interim leader to carry them through to the leadershipconvention, which is to be held some time between March 1 to June30, 2013. The executive is expected next week to provide moreprecision about the timing of the convention. That will put some pressure on Garneau and LeBlanc, both of whomare touted as possible interim leaders, to make a quick decision onwhether to run for permanent leader. "If I choose not to go (into the race), I would probably considerthrowing my name in the hat to be interim leader, yeah," saidGarneau, who serves as Liberal House leader. Brison has also been touted for the interim post but he said he'sgiven no thought to the idea. Trudeau's name has also come up forthe interim job but he outright laughed at the idea. "I'd make a terrible interim leader," he said. "My strengths areoutside of the House, not inside the House.". 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