Schwarzenegger for Prez? He Would Run If Allowed

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger would love to run for president - if he could.

California's actor-turned-governor was born in Austria and the U.S. Constitution prevents foreign-born citizens from holding the nation's top job.

Jay Leno asked Schwarzenegger on "The Tonight Show" Thursday if he would make a White House run if the law was changed.

Schwarzenegger replied, "Without any doubt."

But that's not likely in the foreseeable future. Any amendment to the Constitution must be approved by two-thirds majorities in the House and Senate, and then be ratified by three-fourths of state legislatures.

Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear says the governor doesn't think that will happen.

Separately on Thursday, the governor also pledged California's full support Thursday for national health care reform, throwing the weight of one of the nation's most prominent Republicans behind an overhaul that caused a deep political divide and prompted at least 18 states to file legal challenges.

Schwarzenegger said he has long supported the concept of universal health coverage, and in 2007 proposed a $14.7 billion overhaul of the health care market in California.

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That effort failed in part because of concerns over cost, but the governor credits the effort with helping lay the groundwork for the federal bill signed this year.

Schwarzenegger said it's time to set politics aside and start implementing the new law, even as many cash-strapped states worry the costs of the overhaul will widen their budget shortfalls.

``The bottom line is that the plan is not without flaws,'' Schwarzenegger said during a news conference at a University of California, Davis cancer center in Sacramento. ``But it is a good law. And it is the time for California to move ahead with it, thoughtfully and responsibly.''