The “canoe theory” seems alive and well in Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s appointments. Sources say he’s balancing his new lesbian Democrat chief of staff with an attack dog campaign manager who is now counselor to warm and toasty Vice President Dick Cheney.
Steve Schmidt, a 35-year old East Coast operative who ran spin operations in the 2004 George W. Bush campaign’s war room, is said to be the pick to run the day-to-day operations of the Arnold re-election campaign. Schmidt has a reputation for priding himself on toughness. According to the Newsweek post-election account, he stalked through the Bush campaign war room chanting: “Kill, kill, kill.”
Since those halcyon days, he’s been busy with Cheney, for whom he is counselor and spokesman. There’s been a lot to counsel and spin about. Cheney, as you may have heard, is the hardest of the hardliners in the Bush administration, in the forefront of efforts to defend the Terror War’s pro-torture policies and keep a lid on private White House dealings with the energy industry and on his former company Halliburton’s role in the rebuilding of Iraq.
We don’t see much of him in California. Think of Cheney as the anti-McCain (whom he fought over the former Vietnam War POW senator’s successful anti-torture push); not the Republican to have out front in this sky blue state.
At the moment, Schmidt is seconded to head up PR for the White House drive to confirm Samuel Alito as Supreme Court justice.
He spent part of last year in Baghdad, spinning up the press operation for the Iraqi government.
Although a New Jersey boy who attended the University of Delaware, Schmidt does have some California experience. He did press for former state Treasurer Matt Fong in his losing 1998 bid to unseat Senator Barbara Boxer. In the Republican primary, he likened rival candidate Darrell Issa, the car alarm tycoon, to Ku Klux Klansman David Duke.
Schmidt might want to make a special phone call of apology about that one.
Issa, now a congressman from the San Diego area, is merely the man who made the 2003 California recall happen. Without Issa’s money and leadership, the recall would not have qualified and Schwarzenegger would not be the governor today.
Schmidt’s appointment as Arnold campaign manager, should it ultimately materialize, might not come until February. Schwarznegger has a very complicated mix of personalities to sort through in his operation as he continues to sift through the shards of what was once one of the great political juggernauts.
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[...] Bill Bradley runs it down on his just debuted New West Notes blog: Steve Schmidt, a 35-year old East Coast operative who ran spin operations in the 2004 George W. Bush campaign’s war room, is said to be the pick to run the day-to-day operations of the Arnold re-election campaign. Schmidt has a reputation for priding himself on toughness. According to the Newsweek post-election account, he stalked through the Bush campaign war room chanting: “Kill, kill, kill.” [...]
It’s going to be very interesting how this plays out. Arnold seems to have locked himself in to this appointment, with attendant associated baggage. We’ll see how it impacts the rest of his operation. (I know, I’m supposed to tell you that.)
As soon as Steve Schmidt arrives, he & Schwarzenegger will have to explain what Schmidt knows about the criminal indictment of his good friend “Scooter”, the Chief of Staff for Dick Cheney ( Halliburton’s President when a $60 million bribe was paid out in Nigeria) and what role Schmidt played in the illegal domestic spying and the torturing going on around the world. That will be a start. More later
Are you saying that Arnold’s new campaign manager was involved in spying and torture around the world or involved in spinning spying and torture around the world?
Well, it looks like Arnold is locked in to the Schmidt appointment. Bringing the Cheney factor into California is going to be very interesting.
Everybody says he’s really nice …
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[...] fact, the very first story on my New West Notes blog in January 2006 broke the news that Schmidt was coming aboard as Schwarzenegger’s campaign [...]
[...] fact, the very first story on my New West Notes blog in January 2006 broke the news that Schmidt was coming aboard as Schwarzenegger’s campaign [...]
[...] fact, the very first story on my New West Notes blog in January 2006 broke the news that Schmidt was coming aboard as Schwarzenegger’s campaign [...]