Arnold Out-Fabus Fabian

On the off chance there was any doubt, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proved that living large on someone else's dime is a truly bipartisan affair. As we observe in today's Daily News editorial, this puts Arnold in the same class as Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez; only Arnold's practices appear to be even more ethically questionable:

For his part, Nunez simply dips into campaign funds to enjoy the best in dining, accommodations and shopping. It may be a little unseemly, but at least in his case, we know who's paying the bills.

With Schwarzenegger, things aren't so clear.

The Governor's Office depends on a secretive nonprofit - the California State Protocol Foundation, which operates under the auspices of the California Chamber of Commerce - to foot the bill for foreign travel, including Learjets and luxury hotels. But even though the foundation has given the governor and his staff what amounts to $1.6million in travel-related gifts, we don't exactly who has given what.

That's because the administration claims these aren't gifts to Schwarzenegger per se, but to his "office." And as such, they don't need to be listed on the conflict-of-interest reports that journalists routinely scrutinize.

This might be an indication as to why Arnold has been such a bust as a reformer. It's hard to "blow up boxes" after you've come to realize how comfortable they are.