blivet.com

At the same time that I sit and watch again Ian McKellen’s riveting performance in his film version of the one-dimensional Richard III, I find myself reading, while I idly surf, of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ascension in the polls as the front runner of California’s misguided recall. Arnold, of course, has made a career out of playing one-dimensional robots. Coincidence? No doubt. But it made me think that while the bodybuilder of Austria might not be as shrewd as the Duke of Gloucester, he’s no fool either. Mr. Schwarzenegger has has clearly made a friend and ally of Richard Riordan, the state’s leading socially liberal fiscal conservative, and has wasted no time winning an endorsement from President George W. Bush.