Total recall

Arnold Schwarzenegger announced on the Tonight Show that he is running for governor in the California recall after weeks of speculation he would sit it out.

Arnold is now on live local news not looking very impressive. He doesn't look quite as commanding without a gun or robotic attachments.

ABC just reported that Bustamante is calling supporters and may enter soon (which would make Brian's noble campaign moot). Update: Local news is now reporting that he will be a recall candidate.

Hank Stuever has a funny piece in the Washington Post on the bizarre recall day that was.

The LA Times reports:

Schwarzenegger, a moderate Republican, announced his decision this afternoon at the local NBC studio, during the taping of "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno."

"The people are doing their job in California, the politicians are not doing their job," Schwarzenegger said. "The person who has failed the people more than anyone is Gray Davis and that is why I'm going to run for governor."

The studio audience whooped and cheered after he made the surprise announcement. In the course of his interview with Leno, the popular movie star and former body builder invoked several of the lines that made him famous, including, "Say hasta la vista to Gray Davis," and "When I go to Sacramento, I'm going to pump it up."

Political pundit Arianna Huffington also announced today that she would enter the race as an independent.

"A friend just called and said, 'It's the Hummer versus the hybrid,' " Huffington said late today, just after hearing that Schwarzenegger had announced he would enter the race.

"But the question for Arnold, and for any Republican running, is whether he is going to take on the Bush administration and the policies that have so damaged the state," Huffington said.

Article Author: Steve Rhodes

Steve Rhodes is a journalist and photographer in San Francisco.

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