Opinion: Obama has big plans for big gym in the White House, maybe

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Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democratic President-elect Barack Obama seem to becoming real pals.

Earlier this week, as noted on The Ticket, Obama did a video for the Gov’s Beverly Hills climate change conference in one of the most comfortable places on earth to talk about such uncomfortable things. (See below.)

And today, Schwarzenegger tells Fox News in an interview, the two have talked about body-building and maybe a future job.

What began as a conversation about California wildfires moved on to the Gov’s Ohio campaign joke about Obama’s ‘scrawny’ physique.

“He told me that he’s gong to build a big gymnasium in the White House to bulk up and that I should help him bulk up,” Schwarzenegger said. “And I said only if he helps me play basketball.”

But maybe the new president was just kidding.

They also talked about Schwarzenegger, who supported Sen. John McCain for the White House job, maybe someday working within an Obama administration, probably after the Californian’s gubernatorial term ends in January 2011. But then again, maybe...

That’s actually a reprise of what the Gov said last summer about his willingness to help out any administration, including Obama’s:

‘I would take his call now, I will take his call when he’s president -- any time. Remember, no matter who is president, I don’t see this as a political thing. I see this as we always have to help, no matter what the administration is.’

This time Schwarzenegger said: ‘Whatever they need, I’m there.’

He then quickly added that he’d first have to check with his wife, Maria Shriver, a Democrat who supported Obama and was once interested to learn of her husband’s gubernatorial candidacy while watching Jay Leno.

The Times’ Michael Rothfeld has the full story on the full story over on L.A. Now. To view the video Obama made for Schwarzenegger’s conference, click on the ‘Read more’ line below before melting glaciers inundate the Beverly Hilton.

--Andrew Malcolm

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