There has been talk over the past few months that the most formidable challenger to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger next year might be Attorney General Bill Lockyer, right. Yesterday, Lockyer took himself out of the governor’s race, declaring his intention to run for Treasurer instead. That leaves the Democratic field to the only declared candidate, Treasurer Phil Angelides.

The stealth candidate is none other than Meathead (or as I prefer to think of him - Marty DiBergi, the real/faux/real filmmaker from “This Is Spinal Tap”) but Rob Reiner is on the record saying he won’t run in 2006.

Angelides has been on the scene for a while and seems like a smart and, certainly, energetic fellow. As for Lockyer, he was going to have to spend the first few months of his campaign explaining to me, and presumably other Democrats, why he endorsed Schwarzenegger in the Recall campaign against a sitting Democratic governor.