US: It was entirely in keeping with the zany nature of the California recall election that Austrian-born Arnold Schwarzenegger, best known for his movie roles as a robot terminator, should announce his decision to run for governor on a television talk show, writes Conor O'Clery, North America Editor.
The former Mr Universe told comedian Jay Leno on NBC that it was the toughest call he had made since opting for a bikini wax in 1978. Nevertheless, Schwarzenegger (56), is now a leading contender in a long list of politicians and opportunists hoping to succeed Democratic Governor Gray Davis in California's October 7th recall election.
Yesterday, in a Brutus-like act, Mr Davis's deputy, California Lt Governor Mr Cruz Bustamante also lodged candidate papers, shattering Democratic unity.
The wildly unpopular Davis, elected to a further four-year term in November against a no-hope Republican, had been relying on his party colleagues backing him by fighting the recall as an attempted Republican coup.
Schwarzenegger's entry came in a mad scramble before tomorrow's deadline for nominations. The list includes the former publisher of Hustler magazine, Larry Flynt, billboard pin-up Angelyne, columnist Ariana Huffington, celebrity Gary Coleman and a host of others with mostly half-baked ideas for rescuing California from its $38 billion deficit.
What most probably decided Schwarzenegger to run was the announcement of Democratic Senator Diane Feinstein on Wednesday, that she would not take part in what was "becoming more and more like a carnival".
The leading contenders had been playing a game of chicken in the run-up to this weekend's deadline and everyone was waiting for the word from Feinstein, who is so popular she would probably have been unbeatable.
Until she pulled out, the Terminator had been playing coy, allowing an "advisor" to say he was "leaning against" a run.
Analysts also speculated that he hesitated to go against the wishes of his wife, Maria Shriver, a Democratic stalwart of the Kennedy clan, and was also wary of exposés of his alleged womanising on movie sets.
Schwarzenegger and his Republican ally, former Los Angeles mayor, Mr Richard Riordan, had been conducting their own "high noon" drama, each waiting for the other to make a move.
Without Feinstein and Schwarzenegger, Riordan would have been hot favourite and he had set up a campaign team on the assumption Arnold would leave the scene. "So this is what it feels like to be mugged," one of his aides said yesterday.
Assuming that a rash of court challenges does not halt the recall effort, California voters will be asked to declare in nine weeks if they want to recall Davis and to select one of the possibly hundreds of wannabe replacements.
Schwarzenegger has good prospects of becoming the second actor to be elected governor after Ronald Reagan.
He has name recognition, money and a liberal reputation on popular California issues such as guns and gays.
He also has good enough Republican credentials for conservatives like Mr Shawn Steel, the former Republican Party chairman, who started the recall effort and told me on a recent visit to California that he wants above all to get any Republican into public office in the 100 per cent Democrat-controlled state.
"I know they're going to throw everything at me, that I have no experience and I'm a womaniser and a terrible guy," said Arnold, acknowledging that it will be a dirty fight.
He will be under fire not just from Davis, but from conservative Republican opponents like Congressman Mr Darrell Issa, who funded the recall.
As other Democrats lined up to run, like state Insurance Commissioner Mr John Garamendi, California Democratic Party leader Mr Art Torres, told Kron 4 television: "It's clear that we are the laughing stock of the country."