CALIFORNIA MAY or may not factor into President Bush’s reelection strategy, but at least the White House knows the local history. The President and Governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger met yesterday at Riverside’s Mission Inn, which has hosted GOP presidents as far back as William McKinley. A century ago, Teddy Roosevelt re-planted a navel orange tree on the hotel’s grounds. It’s also where Richard and Pat Nixon were married, and Ronald and Nancy Reagan honeymooned. Maybe that’s why partnering was the dominant theme of yesterday’s tête-à-tête. Schwarzenegger said he wanted to “create a great relationship with the White House.” Bush joked that in addition to marrying well and mangling words, he and the Governator-elect had something else in common–“big biceps.” After a comic pause, the president kidded that “two out of three ain’t bad.”

There was an irony to yesterday’s meeting. Bush and Schwarzenegger are the biggest stars in the Republican galaxy–numbers 1 and 1-A as event draws–yet they aren’t particularly close. Arnold has probably talked more to Karl Rove than to Bush since November 2000. Still, they share common ground. Each adores the elder George Bush (in the previous Bush administration, Arnold chaired the President’s Council on Physical Fitness; Bush 41 called Arnold on the night of his recall victory). Schwarzenegger and Bush 43 are both boot-wearin’, country-music-lovin’ guys. You could flip a coin to decide which is the bigger fitness fanatic.