Sowwy

The Word for the One-terminator, Gov. Schwarzenegger of California, is contrition.

A chastened Arnold Schwarzenegger took complete blame Thursday for the thrashing he endured at the polls and pledged to be a more collaborative governor in the coming year, offering Democrats an extraordinary role in crafting his agenda.

In his first public comments since election night, Schwarzenegger said he would rely far less on campaigns and ballot fights as a governing strategy in the coming year, pushing various goals instead through slow, painstaking negotiations with his legislative adversaries if that's what it takes.

So determined is he to adopt a more centrist and inclusive approach, Schwarzenegger said, that he will ask Democrats to help him craft his State of the State speech — the blueprint for his 2006 policy goals.

Yeah, he's going to rely less on campaigning as a governing strategy... in an election year. When he's up for re-election. Right. Anyone who believes this is a co-dependent, prone to hearing "I'm sorry baby, you know I loves you" and promptly forgiving their mate of any wrongdoing. The guy cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars for absolutely no reason, waged a bitter and divisive campaign to alienate the majority of the state, called public employees "special interests" and threatened to silence their voices. Just ask the Nurses Association what they think of this hat-in-hand maneuver:

Perhaps his most dogged opponent, the nurses union, seemed unimpressed with the governor's display.

"If he had won, there would be no talk of compromise," said California Nurses Assn. Executive Director Rose Ann DeMoro. "In fact, two days after the election he has the same advisors. He's kept the same corporate sponsors, the ones who are on the road to China with him."

Schwarzenegger is to arrive Monday in Beijing for a trade mission.

I just don't think that Californians are going to look at the mess the One-terminator has made of state government and say "All is forgiven." Especially when in 12 months they'll have the option of throwing him out. And they won't even have to call a special election to do it.