There’s been some controversy swirling around my dismissing of the grope-usations leveled against California’s new Governor. In fact, at least one devoted reader has “lost some respect” for me. That ’s both good and bad - hell, at least it tells me that one person had some respect for me.

But lemme see if I can elaborate on how I feel (and felt) about the Case of the Groping Terminator.

I think that anyone who has a history of repeated sexual harassment is absolutely unqualified to hold office. In fact, such people shouldn’t be put in positions of power at all. I don’t think the issue is a joke or inconsequential, even though I may make inconsequential jokes about it.

But.

Remember Bill Clinton? Remember “Troopergate” and Paula Jones and etc.? Remember how accusations popped up right before Election Day, before there was any time to deal with ‘em? Before anyone could find out who was saying what and being paid by whom?

That was wrong.

I don’t think Arnold’s innocent, but I don’t trust the operatives of either political party. Quite possibly the women who emerged in the past week to level charges at Arnold were telling the truth, but what if they weren’t? What if at least some of it was a new version of the now-thoroughly-discredited Troopergate? Is that inconceivable?

Nah. It could happen. It does happen. To sit silently on a sexual harassment charge for years or even decades, only to break it out the week of the election, when there’s no time for investigation… well, that might seem like a good idea from the victim’s point of view, but it isn’t. Like it or not, the charge becomes an unfair political weapon, and the victims themselves become tools of a political smear campaign. I’m not saying these allegations need to be proven in court, but if we let our votes be changed by sudden, last-minute, unexamined accusations, if we let them matter, then we’re not very good voters. And we’re inviting more of the same for the foreseeable future.

So that was my point. I thought there were a lot of good reasons to vote against the Augmented Austrian, but that wasn’t one of ‘em by my lights. That’s my opinion, and I simply don’t think that makes me insensitive to victims of sexual harassment. [Though of course, not thinking that one is insensitive fits pretty nicely into the definition of “insensitive,” doesn’t it? There’s the rub. But a completely consensual rub, mind you.]

There’ll be time enough to take these cases right at Arnold, even though he’s the new Governor. He ought to answer each and every one of the allegations, and he should be compelled to in court if necessary. That’ll make for some pretty compelling television, actually.

So here I am, defending the newly elected, thoroughly unqualified Governor of California, a man who was swept in on a too-short campaign brought on by a misappropriated loophole in an abhorrent political power-grab…

… excuse me, I have to go take a shower.