It was early 2004 and Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson threw himself a goodbye party.


The affable and outgoing Wesson summoned reporters to Capitol Room 319 to say goodbye to the media that had covered his tenure as speaker. California was still reeling from the historic recall election that had swept action star Arnold Schwarzenegger into office and unceremoniously dumped Democrat Gray Davis.


As Wesson faced the crowd, two plainclothes CHP officers appeared at the door and the new governor walked in. These were the days when Arnold Schwarzenegger still sucked the oxygen out of the room. He was still more movie star than governor, and here he was wrapping his arm around the diminutive Wesson, smiling for the cameras.


Schwarzenegger said a few words and then he was gone.


But the impression he left was deep: Here was one of the most famous people in the world performing a common, personal political act. It was the kind of thing that Gray Davis couldn't do to save his life, but seemed so simple. Davis had famously said the Legislature was simply there to implement his vision. Now, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Terminator, was bringing back some of the relationship-based politic