Somehow I don't think we're going to hear Republicans talking about changing the Constitution for Arnold Schwarzenegger again any time soon

Certainly not after his amazing speech today. Would that the Democrats had this kind of guts to tell it like it is.

The full speech isn't available yet, but here's a peek:

Funny how no one's talking about the "Arnold Amendment" anymore

Remember when there was a big push among Republicans to introduce and pass a Constitutional Amendment that would allow non-native-born Americans to be President. It was all because back then, Arnold Schwarzenegger was a big hero to Republicans, so why NOT change the Constitution to allow it? In 2003, none other than Orrin Hatch introduced legislation to amend the Constitution to allow anyone who's lived in the U.S. for twenty years to be President. It seems almost quaint now, in an age when Republicans are joining the "birther" chorus, led by the unhinged Orly Taitz, that somehow Barack Obama is a fearsome "Other" who seized his office unlawfully. What's even more quaint is that in 2004, the Amendment was branded the "Equal Opportunity to Govern Amendment" and the Hatch-led Senate Judiciary Committee hearing into such an Amendment was branded "Maximizing Voter Choice: Opening the Presidency to Naturalized Americans."

Heh. Republicans interested in maximizing voter choice? I guess that's why only a month after this article ran, Republicans in Ohio made damn sure that there would not be enough voting machines in Democratic districts. But once the apparatus was in place for making sure George W. Bush could be re-elected, it was all about looking ahead to clear a path for Ah-nuld.

How times change:

he California Republican Party will hold its state convention this weekend, but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will not be lending his star power to the event.

The Republican governor told reporters Tuesday he would not be attending the three-day convention in Santa Clara because he "can't be in two places at the same time."

Schwarzenegger declined to say where he would be. His spokesman said only that the governor had a prior commitment.