President Bush is in California to raise money for Republican House candidates like the ultra anti-environmentalist Rep. Rich Pombo and Rep. John Doolittle, who has been closely associated with GOP scandal figure Jack Abramoff . But one Republican who will not be photographed with the president is Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger:

By [Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phi] Angelides’ account, the governor is trying to hide his allegiance to President Bush and the national Republican Party’s agenda in order to get reelected in a Democratic-leaning state. He said Schwarzenegger was “scurrying to get away, out of the camera shot” as Bush visited California on Tuesday to raise money for Republicans in Los Angeles and the Central Valley.

Schwarzenegger, however, said it was more important to campaign for the bipartisan ballot measures than to meet with Bush.

“President Bush is coming out here not to help California, but to do fundraising in California, so there’s no reason for me to meet with him,” Schwarzenegger told reporters in Beverly Hills after a breakfast fundraiser for the bond campaign.