Political Muscle : Los Angeles Times : McCain: 'He and I have many similar attributes'

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger accompanies former First Lady Nancy Reagan at the Republican presidential debate last night at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley.

A few things on the Web today:

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GOP debate: "Early on, moderator Chris Matthews polled the 10 Republicans on stage at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library near Simi Valley, asking whether they would support the constitutional amendment needed to allow Schwarzenegger to run for president. Two of the candidates said yes: former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. ("I was too afraid to say no," Giuliani said.) A definite maybe was registered by Arizona Sen. John McCain, who quipped that he was still angling for Schwarzenegger's support in the 2008 presidential campaign. 'Depends on whether he endorses me or not,' McCain said. Then he said: 'He and I have many similar attributes, so I have to seriously consider it.' The rest said no." L.A. Times.

Karen Hanretty bored: "None of the candidates inspired this evening. Maybe that’s a product of being overly prepped. What worries me is that tonight’s deficiencies are the product of candidates who’ve not spent enough time meditating on the greater meaning of America, its place in the world and our responsibility to uphold the history of our past in an uncertain future." The Hill.

Nunez in Obama strategy memo: "Nunez's name pops up in an effort to win a high-level Latino endorsement for the Illinois Senator. Obama's political staff urges him to lean on Federico Peña, Bill Clinton’s secretary of Transportation. He 'would be a good high-level Hispanic endorsement, especially considering the recent endorsements of both former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros and California Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez for Senator Clinton. YOU should make a hard ask for his endorsement and offer him a position on the campaign’s national leadership,' according to the memo." California Majority Report.

Florida jumps ahead of California: "Casting more uncertainty over the presidential nominating process for 2008, the Florida Legislature on Thursday moved the state’s primary up to Jan. 29, ignoring the threat of sanctions from the national Republican and Democratic parties. The new date puts the Florida primary ahead of contests in all but four states. ... Some of the states that have moved their primaries to Feb. 5, including California, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York, said they did not expect to seek even earlier dates. 'I just don’t see it as likely,' said Ron Nehring, chairman of the California Republican Party. 'California is going to be relevant, regardless of what other states choose to do.' " NY Times.

Buy retail politics: "What few people are discussing, however, is how the rules of the game have shifted in California, and how the 'big media' paradigm makes the state’s progressive community the biggest loser of all. Why? Just ask Steve Bing. ... He and his consultants played the game with clockwork precision. They had a winning issue (alternative energy), Bing’s unlimited funding capacity, high powered consultants (including former Clinton advisor Paul Begala), unlimited star power (Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Julia Roberts, Robert Redford etc.) and a great villain (Chevron). The result? Prop 87 lost 45% to 54%. Why? Because the consultants invested absolutely nothing into coalition building and field campaigning." Susan Savage, California Progress Report.