Arnold Schwarzenegger nixes GOP convention visit, due to pressing business

Campaigning -- as all-consuming as it can be -- is easy. Governing is hard.

Just ask Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The California governor -- unlike many fellow Republicans of a moderate ilk -- not only planned to attend the GOP national convention in Minneapolis/St. Paul, he was slated for a high-profile speaking spot Monday night.

Not now.

As he had said he would do, if necessary, Schwarzenegger has canceled his trip because of the continuing stalemate over passing a state budget on Sacramento (the spending plan is two months overdue).

Appropriately, given the acting background they share, Fred Thompson will take Schwarzenegger's role. Indeed, a Schwarzenegger aide told The Times' Michael Rothfeld that Thompson will give the same speech (but with a markedly different accent) that the governor was going to give. It traces John McCain's life story, including his time as a prisoner of war.

Given their contrasting styles, we suspect Thompson will go ahead and make some alterations. [UPDATE: The Schwarzenegger people now tell Rothfield that the speech will have the same "storyline," but will be reworked with Thompson's cadence in mind.]

Meanwhile, McCain and his staff can only hope that for former Tennessee senator can muster a bit more zest for this assignment than he often displayed in his failed bid for his party's presidential nomination.

-- Don Frederick

Photo credit: AFP/Getty Images

Comments

[dave]

the neocon faction of the gop that hijacked the party, hijacked the convention and ousted the legitimate republican candidate that represents the core majority, constitutional republican RON PAUL, for him to hold his alternative republican convention at the target center, minneapolis. it is interesting that they now would insist on drawing attention to mccain's shady past in his vietnam detention time (files still not disclosed, allegations of extensive collaboration and collusion with the vietnamese, ptsd etc). it is likely that schwarzenegger was strongly dissuaded from his spot because his appearance would have drawn additional attention to mccain's own failure to qualify as a native born american citizen, which constitutionally excludes him from the presidency.
thompson was chosen instead because he is 'trusted' to put people to sleep, for them to ignore the exciting and rEVOLutionary developments of these two parallel conventions in minneapolis/st. paul. but the delegates will be informed of the facts, and in their majority can be expected to put the country over their wallet, and this time around will very likely not be bribed to fall in line with the neocon hijackers - so in view of the concerted media propaganda that managed to widely suppress RON PAUL's campaign, but never to quash his extensive and still growing support with the constitutional republican base and independents, this (unequal) twin convention might yet yield a great surprise.