Leno's Still On The Air?

Apparently so, and he violated FCC laws last night be giving an incumbent governor exclusive airtime 30 days out from an election. And not only that, but NBC flat-out lied about it:

Angelides campaign manager Cathy Calfo said she sent a letter Wednesday to 11 NBC affiliates in California asking them to give equal time to the state treasurer because "The Tonight Show" has not invited him onto the program.

NBC spokeswoman Tracy St. Pierre said "The Tonight Show" never received a letter Angelides' camp said it sent, but the state treasurer's spokesman, Steve Maviglio, provided a copy of the letter he said the campaign faxed on Tuesday, along with a UPS shipping receipt to have the letter sent overnight and delivered by Wednesday morning.

One thing that the appearance did do, it reminded people that Arnold Schwarzenegger is the governor of the state of California. And it showed he couldn't even bother to answer softball questions from his personal friend truthfully.

When asked by Leno about TV campaign ads attempting to link Schwarzenegger to President Bush, the star of the "Terminator" films mocked the notion.

"To link me to George Bush is like linking me to an Oscar," said the governor, who has never won — or even been nominated for — acting's most prestigious award.

Yes, how could anyone ever have gotten the idea that Schwarzenegger was linked to Bush? Oh yeah...

Well, ladies and gentlemen, America is back — back from the attack on our homeland, back from the attack on our economy, and back from the attack on our way of life. We’re back because of the perseverance, character and leadership of the 43rd president of the United States, George W. Bush.

(APPLAUSE)

My fellow Americans, I want you to know that I believe with all my heart that America remains the great idea that inspires the world. It’s a privilege to be born here. It’s an honor to become a citizen here. It’s a gift to raise your family here, to vote here, and to live here.

SCHWARZENEGGER: Our president, George W. Bush, has worked hard to protect and preserve the American dream for all of us. And that’s why I say, send him back to Washington for four more years.

SCHWARZENEGGER WITH AUDIENCE: Four more years. Four more years. Four more years. Four more years. Four more years. Four more years.

I actually think the CDP's SECOND ad, which matched Arnold policies into Bush policies (raising tuition and fees, privatizing pensions, doing nothing on health care), was far more effective than just having Arnold mindlessly screaming George W. Bush. The link is not a fiction, it comes out of a shared embrace of corporate conservative ideology.