It's very possible that the nail was put in Gov. Gray Davis' coffin Wednesday with Arnold Schwarzenegger's surprise announcement that he would be running for governor.

For the past few days, word had been that Schwarzenegger (oh, that will be the bane of headline writers -- try to fit that in a 1 column headline) would decline, opening the door for former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan. That won't happen now.

I still don't support the recall. The people of California voted for Gray Davis -- now they must be punished. Besides, the problems California finds itself in won't be changed by Arnold in the governor's office. There needs to be a housecleaning in the legislature too.

I was slightly relieved that Arnold entered the race. Only because Arianna Huffington had announced her candidacy on Tuesday. Until Arnold, Huffington probably had the best name recognition of anyone in the race -- probably the deciding factor in who would win a plurality should Davis be recalled.

Huffington's voice just drives me up the walls. There are people like that -- for no particular reason -- their voice is like fingernails on a chalkboard. Fortunately I'll be able to listen to the next governor's press conferences, instead of waiting on the transcript.