From the Wall Street Journal’s Political Diary:
A parlor game among Republican activists in California for years has been to ask, "What would it take to convince Mel Gibson to run for statewide office as a Republican?" Given the success of Arnold Schwarzenegger and the box-office receipts of 2002’s "Passion of the Christ," interest in Mr. Gibson, a staunch conservative, has long been high. Last year, after Governor Schwarzenegger disappointed conservatives by tacking left on budget issues, California Republican Assembly head Mike Spence openly speculated about Mr. Gibson mounting a primary challenge to him.
That was then. Following Mr. Gibson’s flameout on a Malibu highway, in which he responded to a DUI traffic stop by spewing anti-Semitic rhetoric at the arresting officer, there has been a quiet retreat from any discussion of having Mr. Gibson follow in Arnold’s footsteps. "It seemed like a good idea at the time," says a sheepish Mr. Spence.
Tom McClintock, the GOP candidate for lieutenant governor, has quietly indicated that he will no longer be using a fundraising letter signed on his behalf by Mr. Gibson. The three-page letter praised the state senator for standing "solidly for principles that might not be politically correct — but were right and true." Mr. McClintock has decided that the letter is no longer appropriate. "Tom saw the news and the situation as it was unfolding with Mel Gibson and made a conscious decision to direct people not to use the letter any further," said campaign spokesman Stan Devereaux. "He was disillusioned by the situation with Mr. Gibson." Now that’s a classic piece of campaign understatement.
— John Fund