'We Are a Nation-State'

That he's a cigar-smoking environmentalist, says Arnold Schwarzenegger, allows him to do one of the things he loves most: defy stereotypes.

After taping a cameo on MTV's "Pimp My Ride," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was whisked by his CHP motorcade to his favorite Beverly Hills café. While puffing on a stogie and greeting other regulars including producer Norman Lear, Schwarzenegger spoke with NEWSWEEK's Karen Breslau about his views on global warming, George W. Bush—and how to avoid eco-guilt. Excerpts:

BRESLAU: Do you find your fellow Republicans feel betrayed, like you've turned into a tree hugger?
SCHWARZENEGGER: I don't think they say I did something that is destroying them, because even if they don't believe in it, what's the harm? There are Republican governors who want [environmental reforms], but they haven't figured out how to go there. They ask me, "How do you get away with this among Republicans?" I've told them, "Look, if you need me to come to your state and campaign so you can talk about it, I'm there."

Your cousin-in-law Bobby Kennedy Jr. said in a speech that the Bush administration had the worst environmental record in American history. When you're sitting there across the Thanksgiving table, would you agree?
Umm. I think when I get together with Bobby we talk about all the great things we are doing out here and how we can move things forward. He knows I'm not into criticizing people and looking for what is bad. I look for what is good. And you know, I think people will look at that record and will make up their own mind.

What do you expect out of Congress?
Legislation to fight global warming by reducing the greenhouse gases, setting very tough goals with a cap in place like we have done in California, and creating carbon-fuel standards to force us to use less. We need laws, not just dialogue, because for 50 years we've been talking about how this country should be less dependent on oil, and we have done nothing about it. I hope Congress shows some leadership there. Still, the states have already done it and have come up with their own standards.

You like to call California a nation-state.
What we do here will have such a huge impact. We have such an unbelievable influence on the rest of the globe. We are a nation-state. We are the sixth largest, seventh largest economy in the world. We make our own deals with countries, with Japan, with China and Canada. We rely on the federal government, but we are also relying on ourselves. We're acting as a new country.