Subscribe
NewsOne Featured Video
CLOSE

 

Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger was originally slated to attend, and speak, at the Republican National Convention but ultimately declined. He was one in a line of several high-profile GOP members who opted out of the RNC this year, including incumbent Vice President, Dick Cheney.

The speech intended for Schwarzenegger was then given to actor and former senator Fred Thompson. The Governor told Der Spiegel that the McCain campaign demanded he focus on McCain’s life experiences, so that he would not discuss “centrist policies”, an issue-free, pro-biography strategy that the Republicans have switched to since picking up Sarah Palin. 

Schwarzenegger said, “The speech I would have given is the one that Fred Thompson gave. I gave him my speech because I did not go to the convention. It was a great speech because it talked in minute detail about McCain’s torture and his being a POW, and that’s the speech the party wanted me to give. Why? Because this way I don’t go and talk about centrist politics and maybe rub some people the wrong way. That’s another stage.”

Gov. Schwarzenegger endorsed McCain but has since begun to criticize him, giving McCain’s climate plan a “grade of F.”

Watch Gov. Schwarzenegger’s somewhat unenthusiastic, baseless endorsement of McCain: