Thursday, August 21, 2003
Schwarzenegger still an Austrian
Arnold Schwarzenegger is an Austrian citizen. The leading Republican candidate to replace California Gov. Gray Davis should Davis be recalled on October 7 holds dual Austrian-United States citizenship. The San Francisco Chronicle reported on August 18 that the bodybuilder engaged in the exercise of political string pulling to maintain his Austrian citizenship after becoming an American citizen. Austria generally does not allow dual citizenship, but Joseph Krainer, former governor of Styria, Schwarzeneggers home province, helped the celebrity retain his status as an Austrian.
"We would have been idiots if we had denied Schwarzenegger's express wish at the time to be allowed to keep his Austrian citizenship," the Chronicle quoted Krainer as saying, "After all, today Arnold is the best known Austrian in the world."
Dual citizenship may be fine for the average Tom, Dick, or Arnold. But shouldn't a governor of California owe his allegiance to only one country, ours?
"We would have been idiots if we had denied Schwarzenegger's express wish at the time to be allowed to keep his Austrian citizenship," the Chronicle quoted Krainer as saying, "After all, today Arnold is the best known Austrian in the world."
Dual citizenship may be fine for the average Tom, Dick, or Arnold. But shouldn't a governor of California owe his allegiance to only one country, ours?
