Gray Davis never had a chance

Arnold Schwarzenegger proved tonight at the RNC why he was elected the governor of California, giving a fantastic speech that almost had even me convinced I should vote for George W. Bush in November. (Well, perhaps I'm exaggerating about that last part.) It was a rousing tribute to the American dream from a guy who has lived it. (I was even able to forgive the gratitous references to his film career, which my wife suggested could be the basis for a fun drinking game.)

The one strange part was when he said that he became a Republican because he was impressed by Richard Nixon during the 1968 presidential election. He must have been sincere, because few people would invoke Nixon positively for political gain, even among other Republicans. All the scandals aside, many Republicans view Nixon as an apostate because he presided over a massive expansion of the welfare state and enacted wage and price controls. Plus, his policy of detente with the Soviets was largely discredited, if not explicitly so, by Reagan.

I chose to skip the First Lady's speech, but our friends at Fox News indicated that it was pretty unexceptional. And I believe everything I hear on Fox News.