Leno: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ladies and gentlemen. It's ...

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Leno: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ladies and gentlemen. ... know, my body building career, I enjoyed my movie career, but this, without any doubt,.
Leno: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ladies and gentlemen. It's good to see you. It's never boring when you're here. There are people protesting, there are news crews. It's unbelievable. AS: Well the good thing is they're protesting you. Leno: Exactly, exactly. AS: So i don't mind that. Leno: That's right. Hey, did you meet heidi? Did you get a chance to talk about the old days at home, among the Germans and the people? AS: No, no. We talked about job creation. and we talked about interest rates. Leno: Really? Wow. AS: And how you get approved for credit rating. Leno: Really? Really? AS: No, we had a good time. I mean, it was great. I mean, she'pregnant now. Leno: Right. AS: I think seven months or something like that. Leno: Right, right, right. AS: She looks gorgeous. Very successful. It's great to have her here, to have her on your show. Leno: Right, that's true. But did you talk about home? Did you speak in German? AS: We only had literally just a minute. Leno: Just a minute. all right, alright. AS: Just a minute backstage. But it's great to see her. Leno: Now, you haven't here in a while. And you haven't had a movie out. What the hell have you been doing? What's been going on? AS: Well I've been having a great time governing, i'll tell you that. Leno: Are you having fun or is it, like,oh, my God. This is, like, crazier than I ever thought?

AS: No, I think it is without any doubt the most rewarding job. Leno: Really? AS: The most rewarding thing I've done in my life. There's nothing like it. And I never thought that I would one day, that something is more fun than going down another red carpet of a movie premiere or to do a a movie, or something like this. And I enjoyed, you know, my body building career, I enjoyed my movie career, but this, without any doubt, is the best thing. First of all, as an immigrant, to be able to give something back to this country and to this state. And then also to wake up every morning and make decisions that will help people of California, all people of California and I think this is just really rewarding. Leno: So this is the most rewarding thing you've ever done. AS: It's the most rewarding thing I've ever done. Leno: But didn't you get engaged and marry your wife Maria? AS: Yes. Absolutely. I'm talking about job-wise. Leno: Oh, job-wise. AS: Don't, don't get me into trouble. Leno: No, I just I don't know. AS: Don't get me into trouble. Leno: He said it's the most rewarding, I would have thought Maria watching it at home. AS: Oh man, I'm going to get a beating tonight I can see it, I can see it already coming. Leno: Well the most rewarding thing I would have thought, well gosh. Well how long, you've been married, don't you have an anniversary coming up? Isn't it a big one? AS: 20 year anniversary. Leno: 20 years. 20 years. 20 years okay. AS: We had it already. Leno: Oh you had it. Okay. Now was that a big, was it a big romantic...

AS: It was last April 26th. Leno: Oh. AS: We had a 20 year anniversary and it was really terrific. We celebrated, like you do, we took the kids and had them hang out with the neighbors so we could be by ourselves and I took her out for a nice romantic dinner champagne and the whole thing. A little diamond, you know... Leno: Oh you gave her diamonds. AS: Exactly. Then you know then we came home and she put on something really sexy and then we watched Pumping Iron. It was really, it was very romantic and it was a huge hit I tell you. She loved it; it was a great anniversary. Absolutely. Leno: Well, sounds like a lot of fun. AS: Oh yeah it was a lot of fun. Leno: I see why your job is the most rewarding thing now. I want to ask you. Now, how are the kids? How are they doing? What are they doing? God they're getting big how old are they now? AS: The kids are terrific. They're sixteen and a half, fifteen, and thirteen and nine. And they're all doing terrific in school, which I'm very happy about. But I have to say that they don't like my job. Leno: Oh they don't. AS: They don't like my job. No, not at all because they used to go and come to the movie set and do their homework there with their friends in the movie set: watch a few cars be blown up and see me running out as Terminator or as Mr. Freeze or any of those characters. Now they come up to Sacramento and they always say oh this is horrible, all we see is just a bunch of guys in suits, why do they all wear the same suits. Because they think that life is boring. They just can't figure out why I would like to do that. To go from a 20 million dollar job to a one dollar job. They just can't figure out the whole thing. Leno: I can't figure out why you want to do that. Forget your kids, to me it doesn't make any sense. Now Chris is doing something with his school, he's got some project? AS: Yeah, this Flat Stanley. Flat Stanley. Leno: Okay, I know. Do you know what that is, do people know what Flat Stanley is? Explain it.

AS: You know, he gives me Flat Stanley and then I have to go and take him through all the various different things that I do. If it's bill signing in the Capitol or if it is having meetings and negotiations or being on this show here you know actually I have him right here. Leno: Now you brought some photos. Oh that's Flat Stanley. AS: I have Flat Stanley right here. He's going with me everywhere. Leno: Okay, now this. You know something. This, it's a good thing you're not a congressman, that could be a terrible thing if you're, if you're a congressman this would look really bad. By the way, do you, do you have pages? AS: We have interns. Leno: Interns. Okay. AS: We have interns. And they're 18 and up. Leno: 18 and up. AS: Exactly. Absolutely. No problems in our cabin. Leno: Now you brought some, No problems in your cabin? AS: No problems in our cabin. Leno: Now, you brought some pictures of Stanley. This is Stanley in the, now where is that? Oh that's it. Going through airport security? AS: That's right. Absolutely. He gets to go through the whole thing. Leno: Okay. AS: And he basically is part of everything. Every single move in the office, everywhere. I think as a matter of fact he was even at the debates. Leno: Really? AS: That we just had last Saturday. Yes. And then my son goes and I tell him all the experience that he went through and then my son has to write about it for the class. Leno: Oh I See. AS: Yeah, yeah. So it's a really great project and it makes them creative and he also tells me what he should do and what experiences he wants him to go through.

Leno: Is it hard balancing government and family? It seems like it would be. AS: I think it is really difficult in a way because the family definitely has to sacrifice a lot. It's very very difficult for my wife and it's very difficult for the children because you don't spend as much time at home. And, you know, I love spending time with my children and do sports and you go to school with them, take them to school in the morning and all of those things. So sometimes I don't spend enough time. So this is really it makes it very tough on the family and all of us. But they understand that for me this is extremely important that I am so enthusiastic about the fact that of being able to do this job and I always explain to them that I came over here to this country with absolutely nothing and everything that I've accomplished in life is because of California, is because of America. America's given me every opportunity: if it is the bodybuilding career, the acting career, or making the money, meeting my wife, creating these beautiful children all of this is because of America. So this is my time now to give something back to this great country and to this great state. Leno: Now let me ask you. Last year. Like lessons learned in the first term. Last year you had those ballot initiatives and aah, you got killed. AS: You better believe it. And it's not something I'm used to may I remind you. Leno: Was that like a lesson in sort of humility there a little bit? AS: Absolutely. I think it was a lesson and the lesson was that the people made it clear: don't come to us through the ballot initiative with all your problems. We sent you to Sacramento to solve the problems with the legislatures, not for us to do your job. And so I learned that lesson that I was rushing it because I gave the legislatures an ultimatum you negotiate with me or I go to the people. And I think that whole approach was the wrong approach. And I've learned that, and this year for instance you know after the people have sent this message that go and work with the legislatures this year we are working together Democrats and Republicans and it has become one of the most successful legislative sessions, the most productive legislative session I would say in decades. Because I brought both of the parties together and we are now solving the problems: if it's global warming or stimulating the economy, creating more jobs all of the things are done at the Capitol so it's really wonderful how both of the parties are working together for what is best for the people of California rather then what is best for the Democrats or what's best for the Republicans the decisions that we make is what is best for the people of California. Leno: Alright we'll take a break. More with the Governor right after this. Welcome back, talking with Governor Schwarzenegger. We have these midterm elections coming you know and political ads to me, I love these things. Now they're running these ones where they're linking you, Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Bush. Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Bush's best friend. Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Bush. Is that a fair approach? Is it fair do you think, to link you so closely?

AS: Well, I think to link me to George Bush is like linking me to an Oscar. i mean, it's like, you know. It's ridiculous. think of it. >> Leno: Wow. Wow. All right. All right. That's quite a leap! AS: Yeah. That's what i'm saying. Leno: Wow. AS: That's what i'm saying. No. No, I'm my own man. I make decisions what is best for California. And I'm working together as a matter of fact, we are quite different than Washington is because we work together here. We make great decisions and we're moving really the agenda forward. I think that this state is doing extraordinarily well with the way both of the parties work together. Unlike Washington, where really nothing gets much done at all. And so it is really a sad story. And so, you know, to make that link is just ridiculous. Leno: Now do you think the Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, should he resign? AS: Well, you know, first of all, there's a very serious issue and, with the pages. And I think that anyone that has any knowledge of it or has tried to cover it up should go. absolutely should go. I mean, because this is a, it's a very serious thing. And we, out here in California, for instance, we have, you know, right now Jessica's Law on the ballot. Which is, you know, to go after the sexual predators and people that go after kids and all this stuff. We have to be very tough on those things. We have to lock those people up. And we have to be tough on it. And i think that's the way I feel about anyone that has been involved in the cover-up has to go. Leno: Well the mistake I see people make, I think they, sometimes people confuse the gay issue with the pedophile issue. Like, I mean, I think everyone knew he was gay. That was not a problem. The problem started, obviously, when he was hitting on underage people. AS: Right. Leno: I think sometimes people confuse that issue and it's not really fair. AS: Right, no, it isn't. You're absolutely correct. but I think that the people are very clear that this deals here with kids that are working there on the Capitol and I think that we have to do everything that we can to protect our kids. No matter what. And for someone to be in Washington there and trying to protect maybe the guilty and not the children is totally the wrong decision and someone like that who has done that you know should resign immediately.

Leno: Okay. Now Iraq obviously a big issue. Is that the big issue to voters? Iraq? Is that the biggest issue to voters? It seems to be. AS: I think it changes all the time. Sometimes it's the environment, sometimes it's the economy then it is Iraq so it changes. But I think it is a big issue. And i think that we have, without any doubt, we have to find an exit strategy as quickly as possible. Leno: Should Rumsfeld be fired? AS: Well, I don't want to be presumptuous and tell the president who he should hire and who he shouldn't, but Leno: Oh, go ahead. Go ahead. AS: No, no. It would be the wrong thing to do. Leno: Oh, go on. Get out! Get out! AS: No. But I tell you one thing, that a lot of mistakes were made, there's no two ways about that. And I think that, you know, we all want our troops to come home as quickly as possible. And for me as governor, it is, it is heartbreaking when you get the news when some of your men from your state have died over there. And you have to lower the flag half-mast and you have to write; sit down and write letters to the family and to the parents and, you know, the loved ones. I mean, it's unbelievable. It's really sad. And that's why I think you and I, we are very much in sync on one thing. This is that we have to do everything we can to really, you know, go over there and entertain the troops, which you do all the time, and i have done many, many times. I've gone to Iraq. I've gone to Kuwait and to Bosnia, Germany, Japan, Leno: Fresno AS: All over the equator, Fresno, all over the world basically. And then, also when i go to Washington, every time i go to the Walter Reed hospital, the Bethesda hospital, to sit with those wounded soldiers with their legs blown off and half of their head are blown off and all those kind of unbelievable injuries. And just sit with them and to just talk to them and encourage them. so i think we have to do that because they're really the, they're the real action heroes. they're risking their lives. Leno: Well, the other big issue, of course, here in California is immigration. Now, where are you on that? where do you stand on that? Do we build this wall? This wall, will that do any good? AS: I think that we need comprehensive immigration reform. And I've said that over and over, even wrote an op ed piece on it or two. I think it's important that we secure the borders, number one. But simultaneously we have to go and reform immigration so that companies from the United States can hire guest workers from outside the country, you

know, to come in here to work legally here and to hire people legally here and so they can drive legally here, and all of those things. Because of that simultaneously, we can't just build the fence and not go and reform immigration. We have to deal with both of those issues. So I think that Congress fell short on that and it's inexcusable for them to go home and to just leave that behind just because it's an election year. And election year, regardless if it's an election year or not, you've got to do your job and they haven't done their job, so, you know, this is really a great failure on their part Leno: I mean, it seems to me like if you want to come here it's easy enough to do it legally isn't it? AS: Well it's not. Leno: It's not impossible. AS: It is not impossible but the problem that we have here is that you cannot right now get enough visas. We need for instance hundreds of thousands of farmworkers to pick the crop and to take care of the kind of work that we don't find enough workers in this country or in this state. So we should be able to legally go outside and get these workers. We can't at this point. We cannot get enough visas. So that is bad for business, it is bad for our economy and it is bad also for the workers that want to work, it's bad for everyone. So this is why we got to go and just go and see the reality in front of us and make the right decisions rather than looking the other way and living in denial the whole time. And I'm an immigrant myself I know how great it was for me to have a dream to come to America and to come to the greatest country in the world and to actually, you know, make this dream become a reality and then come over here and get a visa. Of course, I had to wait for my visa. Of course, you have to wait for your temporary working permit and all of this. But we must make it possible so people can go and apply for a visa. Leno: Okay. Sounds good to me. Now, i know you've got to run. So, boss, thanks for coming by. AS: Absolutely. Thank you. Leno: Good luck. AS: Thank you. Leno: Good luck, my friend. Be right back with Heidi Klum. Governor Schwarzenegger.