He’s finally close. Confidants of Vice President Joe Biden expect him to make a decision next weekend, or shortly thereafter, on whether to launch an epic battle with Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Several people who have visited Biden recently said he seems to be leaning “yes.”

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“Nothing he has heard in the past couple of months has deterred him,” said one Democrat close to the process.

A former Senate colleague of Biden’s said, after visiting the vice president, “He loves what he does, and he has a great deal of confidence that he could contribute in a meaningful way. He’s willing to face, ultimately, having his final political expedition be a defeat.”

It’s just that possibility that has some friends telling POLITICO that they hope he’ll ultimately decide to take a pass.

One person who’s in the “bearish” camp said he thinks that testing the waters has been its own therapy after Biden’s loss of his son. The vice president has been showered with love and attention, and should declare victory and avoid a likely political debacle.

One longtime friend said the long windup — and the fact that no staff has been hired — tells its own story.

“If you’re going to run, you run,” the friend said. “Every time he pushes back a decision, that’s the ultimate tell.”

A third recent Biden visitor said: “I can’t see how he can wake up one morning and think some big tidal wave sweeps him in. The raw politics just aren’t there.”

After describing their hunches, friends and advisers almost universally added that they remain unsure which way he’ll go.

“That’s Joe Biden,” one of them said. “He could talk to someone on a rope line tomorrow, and decide to do it. His emotional state just increases his unpredictability.”

The confidants say the most likely scenario for a decision is a family council next weekend. But these sources note that the timing will be driven completely by Biden, and he has proved to be ever-unpredictable as he contemplated a race.

Under that scenario, Biden would begin calling friends with his decision next Monday, the day before the first Democratic debate on Oct. 13, which he had already decided to forgo. If the decision is a “go,” the announcement could be delayed as advisers begin assembling a campaign.