Arnold hears the lamentations of the chief of staff

With his approval rating plummeting like Thulsa Doom's head, the Governator has dumped his chief of staff in favor of a former staffer for Gray Davis, Schwarzenegger's unlamented predecessor.

It will be interesting to see the reaction from Arnold's conservative fan base. Susan Kennedy, the Governor's new right hand, was formerly Senator Dianne Feinstein's communications director, and is well known in Sacramento as a Democratic mover and shaker. She's also both a lesbian and a longtime abortion rights activist.

I can almost hear red necks chafing as I type that.

Schwarzenegger realizes that he has to make some bold moves to rescue his foundering popularity. He's not likely to do that in this state by playing to the far right. But if he runs too far to the left, he'll alienate a lot of the conservatives who've pumped cash into his reelection campaign, and who are counting on him to hold the state house next fall.

Meanwhile, I can just envision Susan Kennedy reaching her hand to the Governor and intoning, "Come with me if you want to live."