Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner stopped by the office today for a conversation about Proposition 93, which I will write about in a future story for the Star. But over the course of a wide-ranging, hour-long conversation, he had some interesting things to say on other issues:

* On the prospects of a Republican candidate waging a competitive presidential race in California next fall: "I find it hard to believe. I can't see the scenario, to be honest about it."

* On the likelihood of his seeking the GOP nomination for governor in 2010: Basically, he said he wished others would stop focusing on something two election cycles away because he's finding, as others have before, that everything he does is seen through a cynical prism. "It would be a terrible thing if I had to sit on the sidelines just because people are speculating about my future plans... I hope people will form an opinion on what I'm doing based on whether it's a benefit to the people of California."

* He acknowledged there was some irony in his concern about others assigning him motives and interpreting actions through an intensely political prism, because much of his criticism of the term-limits initiative is based on his own reading of the motives of Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez, who is the moving force behind Proposition 93. "OK," he conceded at one point, "let's just focus on the merits."

* He said the thought of an earthquake keeps him awake nights in his new job. The reason: The percentage of California homes with earthquake insurance, which peaked at about 30 percent after the Northridge Quake, has now fallen to 11 percent.