Let me state this unequivocally: I am not, I repeat, not tossing my hat or any other article of clothing into the ring for the 2008 presidential race.

Neither am I forming an exploratory committee or taking name-recognition polls or, under any circumstances, entertaining thoughts of accepting the No. 2 spot as a compromise candidate to balance the ticket.

I offer two valid reasons for announcing my noncandidacy:

— Announced candidates can hardly be expected to vote for one of the other candidates. And if one did, how much confidence could voters have in a candidate who doesn't have enough confidence to vote his or her own self-interest?

So, the first reason for my noncandidacy flows simply from the fact that, given the already-crowded nature of the presidential race, someone must remain outside the process to be an audience, to receive campaign literature and to cast a vote that has meaning.

— Candidates who position themselves for a run at the presidency usually have published books that articulate their visions of this nation's future. Such literary credentials in the nonfiction field seem a prerequisite to hit the campaign trail as one of the front-runners.

So, the second reason for my noncandidacy stems from the fact that, while not bereft of ideas for a necessary nonfiction book, I have been a bit short on time for writing one, finding an agent, getting a publisher, proofreading and turning book-signings into full-fledged campaign rallies.

Had I been more up on things, I could have had at least three nonfiction books, gaining name-recognition, over the last three years.

Campaign book idea one: "It Doesn't Take the Village Idiot To Show When You've Been Hoodwinked." This little tome would have recapped all those reasons given — and proved false — for invading Iraq. It also would have included a time line of when one reason — say, weapons of mass destruction — morphed into another — say, spreading democracy.

Campaign book idea two: "East of the Pecos: How the Mideast Was Lost." This would have catalogued the missteps taken by the Bush administration from the fall of Baghdad to its latest, perhaps even last-ditch, effort to wrest control of a failing mission by escalating war. Oops, political faux pas there. I should have used the more palatable word "surge." But since I, unlike Sen. Joe Biden, am a noncandidate, a little misspeaking along the way doesn't really matter.

Campaign book idea three: "Mendacity of Hope: Notes From the Vice President's Secure Location." Dick Cheney, No. 2 in the White House, seems to be the only administration official who believes all is hunky-dory in Iraq. This book would have broken down the Iraq war into three categories: the administration view, an ever-changing series of public relations pronouncements; the real view, based on actual conditions in Iraq; and the Cheney view, observations that should be read while listening to such Broadway tunes as "Tomorrow" and "Everything's Coming Up Roses."

Of course, all three book ideas have already been overtaken by events. While it might be strategically advantageous for someone with little name recognition to become a candidate to advance personal ideas on what course this nation should take, nothing short-circuits a campaign faster than being a few years behind the times.

However, there does exist one idea whose time has come, especially after the rigid polarization that has been the hallmark of politics for the last 14 years — ever since the voting public chose Bill Clinton as president instead of returning George H.W. Bush to a second term.

Thus, book idea four: "Rhetoric No More: Ridding Politics of Nonissues." More than enough urgent issues face this nation: the war in Iraq, deficit spending, Medicare and Social Security solvency, healthcare, immigration reform and a host of others. Why clutter the campaign with nonissues such as abortion, flag-burning, defense of marriage and evolution?

At best, these are topics that have become warped out of proportion by the harsh, polarizing rhetoric used by both sides. This doesn't make these topics any less important for people to debate, but they should be raised as social issues that can be resolved without the interference of politics, without the force of law and without the mean-spirited rhetoric that passes for logic.

At least another 10 months of pre-election campaigning remains before the presidential race goes into full gear. That leaves at least 10 months to separate the nonissues from real political debate.

Over the next few weeks, this noncandidate will turn his noncampaign over to a discussion of the nonissues in hopes of sparking a nonpolarized 2008 presidential race.

I'm Richard Larsen and I approve this noncandidacy statement.

— Richard Larsen is a deputy opinion page editor at The Star. His e-mail address is rlarsen@VenturaCountyStar.com.