The New Road

Governor's speech actually not too bad

I listened to a little of Arnold's speech last night, and I read the rest from a transcript. Putting this stuff:

I've thought a lot about the last year and the mistakes I made and the lessons I've learned. What I feel good about is that I led from my heart.

Now it's true that I was in too much of a hurry. I didn't hear the majority of Californians when they were telling me they didn't like the special election. I barreled ahead anyway when I should have listened.

I have absorbed my defeat and I have learned my lesson. And the people, who always have the last word, sent a clear message -- cut the warfare, cool the rhetoric, find common ground and fix the problems together. So to my fellow Californians, I say, "Message received."

Was pure genius. He was genuinely disarming. This is clearly the best apology I've heard from a Republican in so many years. It's not couched. It's not a sideways attack. It's meant to be reprinted and it clearly uses words like 'mistakes' in a way that make it very clear what he means.

I have to say, I'm impressed. Obviously given all of the shennigans and the want to turn our state into a political cesspit run by cronies, like Texas, through redistricting, there is no possible way I would ever vote for the man. But, he has some good ideas, and he really seems to understand how badly he screwed up in the special election.

If you don't know, Arnie called a special election over four ballot measures, all of which were roundly defeated. You see, Republicans lose when the voting system works properly. If the votes are counted, Democrats win.

Anyway, I digress. Back to the main point. Arnie wasn't as atrocious as he usually is. Hooray! Bush could definitely learn something from this man. Admit your mistakes. But, well, if he were to do that it would go something like;

I admit that I manipulated the intelligence to start an illegal war. I admit to spying on the American people. I admit to outing a CIA operative and, in so doing, threating national security. I admit to vote fraud. I admit to hiring incompetent cronies into critical positions for personal gain. I admit to using the politics of personal destruction and division to such a level that the politics of this country may be hopelessly screwed. In the light of all of that I declare mine the worst presidency in the history of the United States and I resign.

It's too much to hope for. But I can dream.