Who Replaces Arnold? 'Entertaining' Race Unfolds

Sure, California's going through a little financial Armageddon, but that's not keeping candidates from lining up to replace Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is prevented by term limits from running in 2010. In the New York Times magazine, Mark Leibovitch takes a look at the eclectic field, which includes Jerry Brown ("yes, that Jerry Brown"), San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom ("political thrill-seeker"), and former eBay chief Meg Whitman (who promises to provide "adult supervision" for once).

And let's not forget Dianne Feinstein, who may not run but who "is being coy enough that her presence hovers over the Democratic field." Ditto with LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, though he says he's out now in the wake of a sex scandal. If nothing else, the "race should fulfill one of California’s most basic and enduring promises: It will be entertaining. So many people (12% of the American population), so many problems, so many stories—tales of horror, of redemption, of twists and turns." (More California stories.)