California Governor

The long campaign is over. And so a new one begins: the race to succeed Arnold Schwarzenegger as governor of California. A crop of would-be candidates is already preparing -- some openly, others behind the scenes -- with two years until the state's next big election. One, Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, is a rancher; at least one, former EBay chief Meg Whitman, is a billionaire; a third, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, is known across the nation as a champion of same-sex marriage.

When the owner of Staples Center had nearly completed a two-year project to generate power from the sun on the arena's roof, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger showed up at a ceremony to help lay the final solar panel and heap praise on the Anschutz Entertainment Group for going green. Schwarzenegger returned that same night in late October for a far different, less public event: a fundraiser thrown by the company that raked in half a million dollars for his political endeavors.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will propose that all Californian children, including those in the state illegally, be guaranteed medical insurance as part of the healthcare overhaul he intends to unveil next week, according to officials familiar with the plan. If enacted by the Legislature, his proposal would affect about 763,000 children who now lack insurance.

Parting ways with national Republican Party leaders, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proudly proclaimed himself a centrist as he was sworn in for a second term Friday, holding that partisanship in California is in decline and promising to usher in a "post-partisan" approach to the state's problems.

Three years ago, when the revolution was still new, thousands of people crowded the streets around the state Capitol hoping for a glimpse of Arnold Schwarzenegger and his fellow travelers -- Hollywood celebrities -- as California swore in a movie action hero as its 38th governor.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger arrived at his inauguration ceremony on crutches. But one California governor had an even tougher time getting to the big event in 1862: Leland Stanford showed up at a stand-in capitol in a rowboat because Sacramento streets were flooded on his inaugural day. True to Schwarzenegger's Hollywood roots, his Friday inaugural was among the most lavish in Sacramento since 1931, when Gov.

Two weeks have passed and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger still has not said anything publicly about his strangely secretive ski accident. Not an "ouch." Only canned comments in a press release, like: "Today I woke up feeling great and I am back to work." Not even a self-deprecating joke in his inaugural address Friday. Let others analyze that fine, uplifting speech, which can be capsulized in one sentence: He declared war on conservative ideologues and upstart Republican legislators.

He made millions playing an indestructible action hero in the movies, but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger sounded altogether mortal as he talked for the first time Wednesday about the pain and frustration he has felt since his holiday skiing accident. At a news conference where he released his new budget, Schwarzenegger told reporters that since his surgery two weeks ago he has been in continuous pain.

Rolling out his agenda last week, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proudly elevated his eclectic approach to a kind of political doctrine: Republicans and Democrats might be invested in the fight for supremacy, but voters aren't. Seeing that party loyalties are dwindling, Schwarzenegger is confident that he faces no real repercussions if he disappoints the state's GOP leadership.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger hasn't lost a step with his broken leg. In fact, he probably has gained ground on crutches. That isn't a measurement based on polls or any progress toward achieving his new No. 1 priority: healthcare for all Californians. It is based on his improved verbal communication -- not so much in content, although that's fine, but in upgraded delivery. Upgraded as in some signs of humility and less hubris. More charm without being cocky. Inflection in his voice, not bombast.