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Schwarzenegger Leaves Mixed Legacy In California

SACRAMENTO (AP) — Arnold Schwarzenegger landed in the governor's office after announcing his upstart bid on late night TV and railing against government spending during raucous campaign rallies.

Then the world's best known action star, Schwarzenegger conveyed an image of invincibility, persuading Californians that anything was possible if only they had the right mindset.

"I know how to sell something," he said then.

As he would come to learn during seven years on the job, however, selling a political idea is one thing. Delivering on it is quite another. The 63-year-old governor leaves office next month with a mixed record, winning praise for his precedent-setting environmental activism and criticism for his failure to tame the fiscal mess, as he promised.

(© Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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