IS ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER the recall Hamlet? To be or not to be a more conventional candidate: that is the question. Barring a last-minute charge of heart, The Terminator won’t be back in Walnut Creek for tonight’s candidate forum (if you don’t live in the San Francisco Bay area, you can catch it live on C-SPAN, beginning at 7 p.m. EDT). Schwarzenegger’s aides say he’ll participate in a September 17 debate that will air statewide. Otherwise, the star won’t be taking part in any other ensemble productions.

Arnold takes a risk by being a no-show tonight, but it’s the right gamble. For openers, the forum’s organizers set too low of a threshold for participants: a minimum of 4 percent in the latest Field Poll. That opens the door to Democratic lieutenant governor Cruz Bustamante, Republican state senator Tom McClintock, former baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth, Green party member Peter Camejo, and even columnist Arianna Huffington. Camejo and Huffington are recall gadflies who don’t siphon votes from either of the major parties and will be non-factors on October 7. Arnold’s right to expect a higher standard–like 6 percent–which would limit the debate to the big three.