Being an unstoppable robotic killing machine from the future was the easy part.

For Arnold Schwarzenegger, being Governor of California is no bed of roses. The Governator took plenty of well-deserved heat in June over conflict of interest issues surrounding his multi-million dollar consulting deal with a body building magazine.

As the Sacramento Bee reported, Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that would have regulated dietary supplements. At the same time he was earning $1 million a year as consulting editor of two publications that rely almost entirely on the very same substances for their ad revenue.

GP has to wonder why Arnold's political career wasn't terminated then and there. True, Schwarzenegger canceled his deal with the magazines but declined to return $1.5 million he received from the publications. The deal itself would be a massive conflict of interest. The fact that he performed official duties that furthered the interests of the people paying him the money smells like something indictable from here.

Now critics have Schwarzenegger trapped in a bizarre Catch-22 over California's pending video game legislation and the former film star's financial interest in a so-so, eight-month old video game, Terminator 3: The Redemption.

The controversy surrounds the pending video game legislation of Assemblyman Leland Yee (D-San Francisco). Yee's bill would prohibit retailers from selling or renting violent or sexually explicit games to minors. The bill is currently stuck in committee, although Yee hopes to push it forward. The Assemblyman plans to hold hearings on issues surrounding hidden content and video game ratings later this month.

Critics see the ethical dilemma for Schwarzenegger as follows: If he vetoes the bill he will be seen as a pawn of the video game and entertainment industry lobbies, which are very powerful in California. If he signs Yee's bill, it will most likely limit sales of "M" rated games, theortetically driving those consumers to buy "T" rated games - like Terminator 3: The Redemption - instead.

In other words, the Guv is damned if he does, and damned if he doesn't.

"If he vetoes or signs the bill, the market would be affected," Robert Fellmeth, a University of San Diego law professor told the Bee. "Sales on his game would go down if he goes one way and would go up if he goes the other. So you have a decision to make, and one or the other is going to affect revenues. You can't get around that."

Fellmeth added that Schwarzenegger signing a bill that boosted sales of T3 and reduced sales of competing games would be "more troublesome" than the muscle magazine deal. Schwarzenegger reportedly receives 20% of the revenue from sales of the video game.

"If I'm in his shoes, I would ask the attorney general for an opinion as to whether or not he should turn this over to the lieutenant governor," Fellmeth said regarding the video game bill.

EDITORIAL OPINION: This is perhaps the weakest argument ever put forward in the video game debate. The entire concept is theoretical at best, and Professor Fellmeth seems to have no grasp on the video game marketplace. First, Assemblyman Yee's bill has to pass in order to be placed before the Governor. Given the difficulty AB450 has seen so far, its ultimate passage is far from a given.

And even if the bill passes and even if the Governor signs it, does Fellmeth really believe that teenage consumers who are turned down in an attempt to buy GTA: San Andreas will say to the store clerk, "Well, uh, how about a copy of that eight-month old Terminator 3: The Redemption instead?"

That's just not going to happen. The majority of video games have a relatively short shelf life, and T3: The Redemption is far from what we might consider a classic game. In fact, you can't even buy a new copy from major online retailer EB Games, although used copies are for sale, for which Schwarzenegger receives no percentage. You can find a new copy at Amazon.com, but it's steeply discounted from its original $39.99 selling price.