The Canary-Yellow Kid: 'They Were Welcoming to Me'

Adam Housley, the Fox News correspondent, received word last week that he could put on some leather and ride hogs with a bodybuilder. Faster than you can say "canary yellow Roadking," Housley suited up and motored through the wilderness of Orange County with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Housley's date with Schwarzenegger produced this high school crush note, er, Fox News account:

"Arnold Schwarzenegger, all smiles, looks as dapper as ever. Heck, this could be another 'Terminator' movie if it wasn't for the vintage look of his newer Indian motorcycle."

Housley couldn't get his personal hog to Southern California, so he rented "a bright, canary yellow Roadking. This Harley has a distinct old-school look, and should fit well for my ride with Arnold and his pals."

Just one of the guys. With a TV camera. Two weeks before the election.

"As you might expect, the crew consisted of guys who could seemingly knock down a brick wall with a slight nudge — guys like a stunt man named Scott, or Jeff, a fifth-degree black belt. As bad as their bikes, they were welcoming to me, the canary-yellow new kid, and ready for a ride with their pal Arnold — and actor Tom Arnold, who had joined the fray."

Not that Schwarzenegger is a macho thug. Housley writes that when the governor rode through the streets you could see "the comfort and pleasure on his face and in his demeanor."

Schwarzenegger's new best friend notes that the Republican governor is a man of the people: "We were escorted by California Highway Patrol officers on bikes. Most intersections were closed off so we could speed right through, but at the larger corners we stopped, and the governor got some face time with the populace."

But what about Phil Angelides? Housley broached that icky subject, but there was nothing he could do when Schwarzenegger said "he'd rather not waste time talking about his opponent in this election." Fair enough. But Housley did offer some sympathy for Angelides: "It's got to be tough when the sitting governor on a Harley has the opposite effect of Mike Dukakis in a tank."

Schwarzenegger may be dissing President George W. Bush, but he totally hearts Fox News. Conservative host Sean Hannity — who encouraged Democrats to stay home on election day — headlines a fund-raiser tomorrow for Schwarzenegger in Sacramento, followed by a taping of "Hannity & Colmes" Friday from the Midway at the San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum. We'll see if they install a "Mission Accomplished" sign behind the governor.

(Photo: Dave Waters / AP)