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President Schwarzenegger -- a potential blockbuster

By Bill Schneider
CNN Senior Political Analyst

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Schwarzenegger -- how does that sound?

Some people think it sounds pretty good. But don't we have enough people running for president next year?

According to CNN's tabulation, four Democrats are already running. One is exploring. Seven others are thinking about it. The Republican list is even longer. Eight Republicans are exploring. Six are thinking. That makes 26 potential candidates.

The editors of The Los Angeles Times think there's room for one more.

"Why should Californians have their governor sidelined from the race?'' the Los Angeles Times asked in a January 14 editorial. "And why can't voters across the country be entrusted to decide for themselves whether the governor of California is sufficiently 'American' to earn their vote? It's insulting really.''

The reason is Article II of the United States Constitution which reads, "No person except a natural-born citizen . . . shall be eligible to the Office of President.''

It's in there because John Jay, the presiding officer of the Constitutional Convention, wrote a letter to George Washington in 1787 arguing that the commander-in-chief of the United States Army should not be anyone but a natural-born American. The Founders were worried about ambitious foreigners taking over the country; as in Poland, which -- at the time -- had just been partitioned between Austria, Prussia and Russia.

That's not exactly a problem for the United States today. Yet the provision remains in the Constitution, barring naturalized citizens like Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright from ever becoming President.

And Austrian-born Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Amending the Constitution to drop the provision has been proposed before.

In the 1993 movie, "Demolition Man,'' about a police officer who was cryogenically frozen and thawed out in 2032, it was a joke.

"Stop! He was president?" asked the incredulous officer, played by Sylvester Stallone, was when his lieutenant, played by Sandra Bullock, told him to go to the Schwarezenegger Library to gather evidence.

"Yes," the lieutenant replied. "Even though he was not born in this country, his popularity at the time caused the 61st amendment, which states that even . . . ''

"I don't want to know,'' the officer interrupted. "President?''

But the Times canvassed California's congressional delegation to find out how many would support a Constitutional amendment allowing naturalized citizens to become President. Six out of eight Republicans who responded said "yes." Democrats were more closely split -- 9 yes, 7 no.

Though politics is always partisan, this year, Gov. Schwarzenegger is reaching across party lines. In his January 9 State of the State address, Schwarzenegger promised to work with the Democratic speaker of the assembly, Fabian Nuñez, and laid out a bold, ambitious agenda to deal with problems that tie the federal government in knots.

The governor also said California would take the lead on issues like the environment and health care where he said the federal government has failed to act. Schwarzenegger already signed an anti-global warming pact with the United Kingdom which committed California and the UK to jointly study emissions trading practices and "clean energy" technologies.

And earlier this month Schwarzenegger announced a plan to provide universal health care for Californians.

Anything for his fellow Republicans? You bet. Schwarzenegger said he will do it all without raising taxes.

This move to the center has paid off for Schwarzenegger politically, putting him in a much better position than the former governor who now occupies the White House. Fifty-seven percent of Californians approve of the way Governor Schwarzenegger is handling his job. Only 26 percent of Californians approve of the way President Bush is doing his job.

President Bush's job rating among California Democrats and Independents is in single digits.

Most California Republicans disapprove of Mr. Bush, but everybody likes Arnold. Even Democrats approve of his job as governor.

It's easy to see why there is such a disparity. On Schwarzenegger's desk: global warming, stem cell research, health insurance. On Bush's desk: Iraq burning.

If the Constitution says Schwarzenegger can't be president of the United States, he'll just have to be be president of California.

Monday night, Gov. Schwarzenegger presented the Golden Globe award for best dramatic picture to "Babel". Now if he could just get somebody to rewrite his own script . . . the part about where he was born.

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