After observing the news cycle for the past few weeks, you could be excused if you thought the next headline coming down the pike was, “Nobody is running for president.” It’s begun to feel as if the only news worth printing is about who isn’t going to run. Chris Christie dominated the headlines, sucking up an entire news cycle with his press conference announcing the same thing he’d been saying over and over again for the last year. Sarah Palin made what would have been an even larger splash with the same type of announcement had it not been for the passing of Steve Jobs close on her heels.

And they weren’t the only ones. The number two slot on the eventual ticket also draws the same type of attention, with another famous face taking a pass.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio said Wednesday he is not interested in the vice president’s slot on the 2012 Republican presidential ticket, and that if offered it, he’d say no.

“I am not going to be the vice presidential nominee,” he said, in an interview for the Atlantic’s third annual Washington Ideas Festival. “I’m not focused on that – I’m focused on my job right now.”

“I don’t crave it,” Rubio added, of the vice presidency. “I wanted to be a United States senator.”

Even before that, I’m sure you recall all of the speculation surround Mitch Daniels, Paul Ryan and others who were being tempted toward a run. Each was followed by the inevitable disappointment and sadness among their supporters when they demurred. But surely there’s somebody running, isn’t there?

Well, of course. The problem is, there doesn’t seem to be much excitement. Maybe it’s just the nature of the season, the long road left to travel, or a general weariness with the sort of candidates we’re getting. The people who generate the most excitement seem to somehow blow up and fall by the wayside. (See: M. Bachmann) Unless Rick Perry stages a serious comeback from his recent slippage in the polls, the only person generating any real heat at this point is Herman Cain. And he’s heading out on a book tour.

So… is the political media covering the “no” stories because these are the people we really want to see? Or is it simply a lack of any seriously enticing news about the candidates we have?

Is “no” the new “yes” in presidential politics?