President 2008 Watch: Arnold Schwarzenegger – No Presidential Primary Endorsement

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, right, listens as U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., speaks as they take a helicopter tour of the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2007, over Los Angeles.

Politico: Exclusive: Arnold Defends Hillary, Mulls Senate Run

He told me in a 45-minute interview in his office in the state capitol Thursday:

• He will not rule out running for future public office including U.S. senator or mayor of Los Angeles when his term as governor expires in January 2011.
• He will not endorse a presidential candidate until after the Republican Convention in September 2008, even though he thinks Rudy Giuliani and John McCain are strong candidates and either could win the California primary.
• He wants a deadline for getting out of Iraq, even though he recognizes that President Bush does not.
• He thinks Democrats should stop criticizing Hillary Clinton for refusing to say she made a mistake by voting for the Iraq war.
• His wife, Maria Shriver, will “absolutely not” run for governor of California or any other public office, quashing speculation that a Schwarzenegger dynasty was in the making.

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This is a blow to Senator John McCain who already trails Mayor Rudy Giuliani in the latest polls.

The question is will Mitt Romney have much of an impact in California? And how does a three-way race in each Congressional district bode for each candidate?

Stay tuned…….

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