Today I read Doc Searles' rather positive comments  about Arnold Schwarzenegger.  This was a head spinner for me because Doc seems awfully liberal, and I would never expect him to support a Republican on anything.  But then again I don't know Doc and he is full of surprises anyway.

Musing on this prompted me to read the [infamous] August 1977 Oui interview.  (If you haven't read it, please do, you can't trust others' opinions on something like this, not even mine :)  The reaction to this interview has been mostly either:

1. Gasp, he did drugs, and had promiscuous sex, and called gays "fags", how terrible!
2. C'mon, that was 26 years ago, it was the '70s, give the guy a break!

Well my reaction is neither of these things, rather, it is "so what"?  Even if it wasn't 26 years ago, really so what?  He did do drugs (how many of us haven't?) but the way he admits it shows he was no addict.  He did engage in [some] promiscuous sex, but it was consensual, he was not married, so what's the big deal?  The way he discusses gays shows a great deal of tolerance, especially considering the time.  Overall to me he emerges as a reasonable, smart, honest, interesting guy.  And something else - he was driven.  He understands what it takes to be successful at anything, you have to be willing to work harder than the next guy.  And you have to have confidence.

I might be the only person to feel this way, but the Oui article actually swayed me towards voting Oui for Arnold.