Arnold's next move

Arnold Schwarzenegger entered our national consciousness as an actor who played the largely-silent roles of heartless barbarian killing machine and computer-brained cyborg killing machine.

Then -- just like that -- Schwarzenegger, armed with an almost-full range of emotions and an almost-normal command of English, was playing good-guy, flesh-and-blood killing machines.

This led to roles with less killing and, eventually, the governorship of California.

I imagine, during the early-eighties, Schwarzenegger would lie in bed visualizing what it would take for him to shed his instantly iconic image as the unstoppable, un-feeling mute killer. Improbably, he did. Just like he has always dreamt publically of being governor of California and, against-all-odds, was able to make his once-laughable ambition a reality.

If you want to know what Schwarzenegger is dreaming these days, look no further than yesterday's state-of-the-state address when Schawarzenegger referred to California as a "nation state leading the world," and compared it to Athens and Sparta.

On the surface that might just seem like pro-California, ra-ra stuff.

But, consider this: Schwarzenenegger has one term left as governor. After that, the Constitution prevents him from running for president (and his earlier attempts to drum up support for an amendment allowing foreign-born Americans to run fizzled.) I can't imagine him wanting to be one of a hundred senators.

So when Arnold rests his head on his pillow he now envisions a scenario where the citizens of California vote for, in a Quebec-style referendum, some sort of separation from the rest of the United States.

Of course Schwarzenegger gets to be their president/prime minister/czar/king whatever.

I'm not saying this is going to happen -- it most certainly won't -- but what I am suggesting is The Governator's actions and rhetoric should be viewed through the prism of his latest and most audacious dream.

In a lifetime of audacious dreams so far fulfilled.