Arnie Terminates Bid

12/29/1998 at 12:00 AM EST

Arnold Schwarzenegger is putting the kibosh on rumors that he plans to run for governor of California. "I have thought about it many times, but I'm in show business," said The Arnold, 52. "I am in the middle of my career. Why would I go away from that and jump into something else?" Schwarzenegger had hinted in the November issue of Talk magazine that he might one day be a candidate for governor. But on Friday, he said his remarks about running for public office in 2002 had been taken too seriously.

• Among those who admonished Arnold not to run was Gov. Jesse "The Mouth" Ventura. Schwarzenegger and Ventura filmed the movie "Predator" together and have been pals for more than a decade. "Continue with your movie career, Arnold -- don't get involved in (politics). It won't be worth it to you," Ventura said Sunday on "Meet the Press." Ventura also defended some inflammatory remarks he made in a recent Playboy magazine interview, in which he called organized religion "a crutch for weak-minded people" and said men groping women at the Tailhook conference was "no big deal." He stood behind his statements on "Meet the Press."