Arnold Schwarzenegger Running for All the Right Reasons

I was against Warren Beatty (search) running for president on the basis of his fame and celebrity, so why am I not quite so worked up about Arnold Schwarzenegger (search)?

First of all, it's good to see someone calling himself a Republican making some headway in California. Think of it as a door opener.

Maybe California voters will now start thinking of Republicans as something other than right-wing extremists, which is a standard line — whether it's in the Los Angeles Times or campaign mailers from Barbara Boxer (search).

In fact, California has been a Boxer liberal echo chamber for so long that residents have a hard time even admitting they have some republican tendencies. It's tantamount to coming out of the closet.

So good. Arnold is not a conservative. His record shows that. But he's a Republican, and that might break the Democrats' stronghold on the state.

Second... I love it that a guy who cannot run for president is running for governor. Arnold is barred from the presidency, because he wasn't born in this country. That means he can get something done and do it for the right reasons, not because he's preparing a base for the White House. He can say no to lobbyists and special interest money because he doesn't have to pile up dough for the next election, or worse, for his run to take D.C. by storm.

This guy is quasi-dead ender. He can run for reelection, he can run for Senate, but the presidency is out and that should be a comfort for voters.

Now the hard part. He's gonna have to run a real campaign in which he doesn't make any big Terminator mistakes, and then actually do the job, if he should win.

Good luck, Arnold. You're gonna need it.

And if you do get the job... how about doing a real service to California by dumping that recall law. Posterity will thank you.

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