See You Later, Arnold

Arnold Schwarzenegger would have been a most unusual candidate even for California--a onetime Mr. Universe, a native of Austria, star of “Conan the Barbarian,” in which he mostly grunts, and “The Terminator,” in which he’s mostly molten. He’s also a Republican married to a member of the Kennedy clan. On Tuesday, Schwarzenegger announced (again) that he would not be a candidate for governor next year. Lost for now is a whole new level of political humor.

The actor first expressed interest in running for governor in a telephone call to Times state political columnist George Skelton in early February. In March, a publicist said he had decided not to run, but that statement was retracted the next day.

Is the latest announcement final? Probably. Schwarzenegger has contracts for two new movies. Shortly after Arnold-for-governor talk began, Democratic Gov. Gray Davis’ political hit man distributed tabloid articles that accused Schwarzenegger of having a history of untoward behavior toward women. Neither Schwarzenegger nor his wife, Maria Shriver, could have relished a campaign in which such allegations were aired day after day.

So Schwarzenegger has told us, “Hasta la vista, baby.” But perhaps what he really means is, “I’ll be back.”

Despite what some may infer from his movie image, Schwarzenegger is no buffoon. He is a serious guy with the sort of moderate Republican beliefs that have appeal in California. Perhaps in four years we’ll have a chance to see just how serious a candidate he might be. And just how bad the Arnold-for-governor jokes can get.