Man, things look bad for Arnold Schwarzenegger right now. He is burdened by the poor performance of his state and the salacious details abut his scandalous personal life.
Can things possibly get worse for the man we used to lovingly call the "Governator"?
California is a financial fiasco. His image is in shambles and it's likely he could wind up paying his wife Maria Shriver more than $100 million in a divorce settlement. Arnold is truly beyond damage control. Or, is he?
Schwarzenegger will return to the one place where he is (sort of) beloved: Hollywood, of course.
What if Ahnold took some time off and let the dust settle and the waves roll in. Then, he could do another installment of "Twins" or "Kindergarten Cop" or, of course, "The Terminator."
Come on. Admit it. You're dying to hear him proclaim, one more time: "I'm baaaaack."
But a Schwarzenegger comeback — in any arena — is a long way off, God knows. He has dug himself such a public-relations hole that it would take a search party to find him. He should admit to his mistakes, in public, and get it over with. Take responsibility for his actions. Lay the blame where it belongs. And move on — or try to.
Famously, America is a forgiving nation. Schwarzenegger bungled California's fortunes, all right, but he could argue that he had the best of intentions. He has made a mockery of his family, for sure, but, again, that should be between him and his wife and children — all of them.
I don't really care about his tangled sex life. As long as it didn't affect the way he governed, I just don't really care to know the sordid details. Let him make it right with his family.
Look for Arnold to tap into Hollywood again and try to reclaim his tattered image. It's a world of make-believe of achieving fantasies and entertaining people. Of course, he has been entertaining people, in real life, quite a bit lately. He needs to get back some goodwill. He can do it on the silver screen.
Would you be shocked if you heard him declaring, "I'm baaaaack"? Of course, we are a forgiving nation, after all.
Jon Friedman writes the Media Web column for MarketWatch.com. Click here to read his latest column.
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