I actually like Arnie. My only serious gripe against him is how he came into office - by the GOP machine targeting Gov Davis for removal and sending people
from the outside into Cali to gather signatures for a petition. It was sleazy and unforgivable. But it wasn't Arnold's doing.
I agree with you that Arnold's brand of conservatism is much more rational; it's what the GOP was before the Religious Right took over, and definitely before the Neocons. His record on the environment is admirable, and he's fought the Bush administration on it like only the Terminator could.
But being the liberal that I am and his position on some other issues, I would still prefer someone else in the White House.