Gov. Backs Idea of Foreign-Born U.S. President

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, here for a meeting with his fellow governors, told a national television audience Sunday that the U.S. Constitution should be amended so he and other foreign-born Americans would be eligible for the presidency.

The appearance, on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” kicked off a whirlwind day during which California’s governor was the star -- and sometimes the entertainment -- at events from a lunch at National Governors Assn. meetings to a dinner at the White House.

“Wait a minute,” declared Schwarzenegger as photographers prepared to snap a picture of all 50 state chief executives. “A lot of these guys need makeup!”

Asked by “Meet the Press” host Tim Russert about a constitutional amendment proposed by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) that would allow immigrants to run for president, Schwarzenegger said: “I think that there’s so many people here in this country that are now from overseas, that are immigrants, that are doing such a terrific job with the work, bringing businesses here and all this, that there’s no reason why not.

“Look at the kind of contribution people like Henry Kissinger has made; Madeleine Albright,” he said, citing two former secretaries of state. “There’s many, many, many people here that have worked within the government and have done an extraordinary job and not have been born in America.”

Pressed by Russert on whether he would try to become president if the amendment were adopted, Schwarzenegger at first joked that he would run if he received the support of actor Sylvester Stallone.

He eventually stopped well short of a denial, saying he had “no idea” if he would run.

Hatch’s amendment, which was proposed before Schwarzenegger ran for governor, would eliminate the Constitution’s requirement that presidents be “natural-born” citizens. In its place, the amendment would establish a rule that presidents must have held citizenship for 20 years. Schwarzenegger became a citizen in September 1983.

In the interview, Schwarzenegger appeared as loose and at ease as a second-term president, kidding Russert about exercise and plugging his movie “Around the World in 80 Days,” which is scheduled for release later this year.

“Man, I should look at that, because it sounds really good,” he said when Russert first asked him about Hatch’s proposal. “I mean, are you going to help me? C’mon, Tim.”

In response to a question that mentioned the governor’s bodybuilding career, he told Russert: “I can tell on your body that this is a whole different ballgame now, Tim.... Look at your deltoids and your six-pack. It’s amazing; so congratulations on that.”

He deflected a question about whether he would sign legislation that would legalize gay marriage, saying, “I don’t deal with hypotheticals.”

Asked about San Francisco’s granting of marriage licenses to same-sex couples, he framed the issue as one of enforcing state law: “We cannot have, all of a sudden now, mayors go and hand out licenses for various different things,” Schwarzenegger said.

“If it is -- you know, in San Francisco, it’s the license for marriage of the same sex. Maybe the next thing is another city that hands out licenses for assault weapons. And someone else hands out licenses for selling drugs.”

In an apparent message for the White House, Schwarzenegger said President Bush could win over California voters in the November election -- but only if the administration sends more federal money to the state.

Schwarzenegger suggested that the Bush administration end the potential for oil drilling in federal waters off the California shore by buying back leases oil companies hold on coastal sites -- something the administration already has done in Florida.

He also said Washington should provide more funds to cover the cost to the state of housing criminals who are undocumented immigrants.

“Californian people are like a mirror. What you would do for them, they will do back for you,” he said.

Later in the day, Schwarzenegger met with Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson, discussing California’s $31-billion Medi-Cal program, child support and the state’s creaky computer system.

By the end of the year, California hopes to request a waiver from Thompson’s department that would allow the state to cut Medi-Cal costs by as much as $400 million. For that to happen, the state needs permission to charge higher premiums and demand co-payments from families receiving Medi-Cal payments.

After the meeting, Thompson said in an interview that he wanted to cooperate.

Schwarzenegger’s visit comes a week before an important test of his young administration. California voters will decide March 2 on Proposition 57, which would authorize $15 billion in borrowing to cover the state’s deficit, and Proposition 58, which would require a balanced budget.

Nearly every time he saw a camera Sunday, the governor talked up the ballot measures. He mentioned the propositions seven times on “Meet the Press.”

But asked whether it was a tactical mistake to leave the state so close to the election, Schwarzenegger said he could not miss the chance to build a rapport with his new colleagues.

He said it is “very important that the governor ... be here -- especially the first time,” he said.

Schwarzenegger’s debut at the governors conference was eagerly anticipated. Before the event, Peter Peyser, a lobbyist for Pennsylvania, wrote a memo to that state’s governor, Edward G. Rendell, briefing him on the issues that might dominate the proceedings. Topping the list, Peyser said, was Schwarzenegger’s appearance.

North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven, a Republican, emerged from the governors luncheon Sunday afternoon and, looking over the press corps waiting outside the ballroom, said: “I suppose everyone’s here for Gov. Schwarzenegger.”

Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, a Democrat, said the governor fit right in. “There were already plenty of egos in this place without him.”

Tom Vilsack, the governor of Iowa and a Democrat, talked with Schwarzenegger about their mutual friend, comedian and “True Lies” co-star Tom Arnold, who is from that state.

He also credited Schwarzenegger for tempering his celebrity with a little dignity. “To your governor’s credit, it’s not so crazy as when Gov. [Jesse] Ventura was here,” he said of the former Minnesota leader.

At the end of the day, Schwarzenegger joined the other governors for dinner at the White House. Wearing an Armani tuxedo, he was seated at the president’s table. His wife, Maria Shriver, sat with Vice President Dick Cheney.

After more meetings in Washington today, Schwarzenegger is dedicating much of Tuesday to fundraising, including an event in northern Virginia his aides had not previously announced. From there, he is scheduled to fly to New York City to attend two more fundraisers, one for the New York Republican Party and one for the California Recovery Team, a committee Schwarzenegger is using to fund the ballot propositions he supports.