Don't expect Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to follow in the footsteps of Arizona Republican Gov. Jan Brewer anytime soon -- he called the Grand Canyon State's new immigration law a grand "mess."
"First of all, let me just say that I, as governor here, I would never do that in California," he told late-night host Jay Leno in an episode that aired last night.
Schwarzenegger said the law, which requires safety officials to request proof of citizenship of someone they believe is an illegal immigrant, is a result of "a shortcoming of the federal government" to act on immigration reform.
"(The) federal government does not get their act together and have immigration reform so that we know who is in this country, how many people are in this country, do the background checks, let people come in legally and work here because we need the workers, and all the people cross legally and do everything in a legal way," he said "What do they do? They look the other way and try ‑‑ kind of like in denial, living in denial like it doesn't happen."
Schwarzenegger, who announced his own candidacy for governor during the 2003 recall and Abel Maldonado as his lieutenant governor pick on the show, also gave Leno his prediction for who will win the 2012 GOP presidential nomination.
"I think maybe (former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt) Romney...." he said. "By a hair."
Watch the clips, where he also discusses alligator boots and his "experience" with the issue of legalizing marijuana, here.
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