Arnie 'more compassionate'

2004-04-27 10:48

Beverly Hills, California - Govenor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who faced accusations of sexual misconduct with women during his campaign, is "more compassionate and considerate than he has ever been", his wife, Maria Shriver, told a women's organisation.

Shriver's comments on Monday came as Schwarzenegger picked up an award from Women of Los Angeles, an affiliate of the Washington-based WOMEN Inclusion, for his long-standing support of after-school programmes.

It was the first award he has received from a women's group since taking office last year.

In introducing the governor, Shriver never mentioned the controversy that hounded him in the campaign, when a string of women alleged that Schwarzenegger groped or sexually harassed them between 1975 and 2000.

She said her husband had grown wiser and more sympathetic over time, remarks that appeared at least partly aimed at those who have depicted him as crude and insensitive toward women.

Since meeting him nearly three decades ago, Shriver said Schwarzenegger "was thoughtful then, but today he is more compassionate and considerate than he has ever been".

"He was always a dreamer, but back then his dreams were more focused on himself," Shriver added. "Today, they are focused on 36 million Californians."

Schwarzenegger acknowledged last year that he "behaved badly sometimes" during his days as an actor.

The governor turned Monday afternoon's banquet into a celebration of the women who have influenced his life, from his tough-love mother to staffers who write his bills in Sacramento, California's state capital.

"The reality of it is that I would not be here today, and I would not be the person that I am, without two powerful women that have shaped my life," the governor said, referring to his mother, who died in 1998, and Shriver.

- AP