Written by: Beck

Mark Shields makes an interesting observation: the perception and the reality of Arnold Schwarzenegger are completely different. People think of his political views as being somehow reflective of his movie persona, which isn't necessarily the case.

Evidently there's some concern that Schwarzenegger will draw a bigger crowd tonight than Bush will on Thursday. Somehow I have a hard time thinking that will come true, but at the same time, the very fact that people could contemplate the possibility speaks volumes. Meantime, there's a looming fiscal disaster in California, and he's running a bigger deficit than recalled Governor Gray Davis.

In other news, yesterday was the day I learned how to spell "Giuliani." Today, I've finally learned "Schwarzenegger."