Schwarzenegger seeking big role in '08, says paper

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, though barred by the Constitution from running for president, is seeking a substantial role in the 2008 White House contest, especially on the Republican side.

Fresh off a smashing reelection victory, the governor and his political team are hoping Schwarzenegger's outsized persona and bipartisan achievements in California could carry some influence in the GOP presidential campaign, the Los Angeles Times reported on Monday.

The U.S. Constitution requires that the president be a "natural born" U.S. citizen but Schwarzenegger was born in Austria.

That does not mean Schwarzenegger would sit out the 2008 presidential campaign, the paper noted.

"When you have a Republican who won a large victory in a Democrat state in a very Democrat year, clearly he's identifying issues that represent what many voters are concerned about," Adam Mendelsohn, the governor's communications chief, was quoted as saying.

This is particularly true at a time when voters have demonstrated their frustration with Washington's gridlock and partisan polarization by driving congressional Republicans out of power, the paper said.

"There's no question that Arnold Schwarzenegger's style of governance, the ability to work in the middle, seeking cooperation instead of confrontation, is something I think you will see the 2008 candidates try to emulate," said campaign strategist Steve Schmidt.

People close to the governor say he still hopes that someday the rules will change, allowing him to seek the White House himself, according to the paper.

That would mean changing the Constitution. There was talk of such an amendment early in Schwarzenegger's first term, but that died around the time his popularity plunged during the disastrous 2005 special election.

According to the paper, the governor, given the current situation, has two ways to exert influence in the 2008 campaign:

One would be delivering his blessing to a favorite among the many GOP hopefuls contemplating a White House bid such as GOP front-runner, Sen. John McCain of Arizona and former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani whom Schwarzenegger has warm relations with.

The other would be exercising his sway in the 2008 campaign by promoting his California-style centrism on a national stage, the way Reagan-style conservatism was exported west to east.

Source: Xinhua