Free Republic

For a novice candidate who ran for office as an outsider, Gov.-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Calif.) seemed to fit right in at a lavish party thrown in his honor by a Washington lobbying firm Wednesday night. Cabinet members, TV news personalities, White House officials and lawmakers gathered on a roof terrace just blocks from the Capitol, but largely ignored the extraordinary view. Instead, they waited eagerly for their chance to chat with the movie star-turned-politician who worked the crowd with a big grin and talked about everything from agricultural policy to bodybuilding to wildfires. Away from the formality of the Capitol...