Gov. Arnold and His Harriet Miers Moment

See if this sounds familiar:

An executive with low poll numbers, urged on by his wife, makes a bold appointment without proper vetting. That sets off a firestorm of unanticipated criticism. The executive insists he hasn't changed and asks his allies to trust him.

Haven't we seen this movie before? The description above applies both to President Bush's nomination of Harriett Miers to the Supreme Court, and to Gov. Arnold's appointment of Susan Kennedy, former aide to Gov. Gray Davis. John Fund has more:

Arnold Schwarzenegger stunned California last week by selecting the former deputy chief of staff to Gray Davis, the Democratic governor ousted by the recall that brought Mr. Schwarzenegger to power, to be his own chief of staff.

Conservatives are furious that Susan Kennedy, a 45-year-old former acolyte of radical activists Tom Hayden and Jane Fonda, will be Gov. Schwarzenegger's top administrator, with power to hire and fire staff. Some liberals are angry at her joining a GOP governor; others are bemused. This Wednesday, 450 Gray Davis alumni will fill the state capitol for the unveiling of Mr. Davis's portrait. Ms. Kennedy will be reunited with David Zingale, another former top Davis aide, who is now chief of staff to First Lady Maria Shriver. Jason Kinney, a Davis speechwriter, quips that Mr. Schwarzenegger has decided to "finish the second term of Gray Davis." Mr. Davis, for his part, notes that "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."

It appears to me that after the defeat of Arnold's ballot propositions in November, Arnold gave up being a Republican and gave in to his inner liberal. He's decided that if he can't beat them, he can become one of them. Read the whole piece and you'll see plenty of reasons why Republicans should be very concerned about this appointment, and why Arnold may not be a good choice for the Republican ticket in '06.