Phil Angelides has a tough row to hoe at the moment. He is just not as telegenic and physically appealing as our current movie star governor and -- in an age when television is the primary medium by which the majority of voters get to know political candidates on the state and national level -- he is clearly at something of a disadvantage.

Nonetheless, it is important for voters to know that despite our superficially appealing governor's frantic attempts to distance himself from the Bush administration as the election draws near, he couldn't be more firmly tied to those folks, at least as far as his re-election team is concerned.

According to a June 16 article featured in the Contra Costa Times, "Schwarzenegger Š has tapped three men who have played central roles in Bush's victories: campaign manager Steve Schmidt, whose reputation for rapid responses on the campaign trail is legendary; Matthew Dowd, the pollster and strategist known for his famously droll and realistic takes on Bush's races; and Alex Castellanos, the media consultant who has been called a father of the modern-day attack ad."

Furthermore, Schmidt (Schwarzenegger's campaign manager) has ties to the White House that go far beyond just providing electoral assistance. He is often referred to as a protg of Karl Rove. In fact, before he took over the governor's campaign, he was deputy assistant to the president and counselor to the vice-president, and a member of Karl Rove's inner circle. The San Jose Mercury News reports that Schmidt "Šis considered a political operative in the mold of the late Lee 'Willie Horton' Atwater." But this should come as no surprise. Karl Rove, Schmidt's mentor, is an Atwater protg himself.

As if that weren't worrisome enough, Schmidt was also reportedly instrumental in the "swift-boating" of John Kerry in the 2004 election. He was assigned to shepherd Samuel Alito through the Senate confirmation process, and there were reported sightings of him in Ohio and Florida during 2004 and 2000, respectively, where there remains a disturbing amount of evidence that the GOP had a hand in disenfranchising a significant number of minority voters, a demographic group that historically has voted heavily Democratic.

So next time you find yourself buying into the illusion that Arnold Schwarzenegger is not really closely linked to the Bush White House, you might want to think again. If you are a Bush supporter, then Schwarzenegger too may well deserve your support. But if you are opposed to the Bush administration's policies and political tactics, you will probably find these links both disturbing and compelling.

Phil Angelides may be no movie star, but with advisors like this in his camp, neither is Arnold Schwarzenegger the congenial moderate that he now hopes to get voters to believe him to be. So rather than fall prey to the campaign manipulations of a team of political operatives fresh from Camp Rove, Camp Cheney, and Camp Bush, go to each of the candidates' Web sites and study their respective positions on the issues. Then go out and make an informed choice in November.

(Gifford lives in Napa.)