EDITORIAL TRUE LIES ARNOLD HASN'T BROKEN HIS WORD, JUST HIS HYPE.

YOU can say this much for Arnold Schwarzenegger, the politician: He hasn't lied to the people.

Oh, he's said some things that turned out to be untrue. And others that proved wrong or unrealistic. He's also had to change his tune a few times.

But lie? Not exactly.

If anything, the governor's breaks from some past campaign promises could be called ``true lies.'' That is, well-intentioned, sincere comments that ultimately fell prey to Sacramento reality.

Take his recall-era campaign claim that, because of his extreme wealth, he would never have to take special-interest money. Since then, he's raked in an estimated $100 million.

Was that a lie, or a realistic retreat from the idealism of a political novice?

Schwarzenegger also promised to end the practice of campaign fundraising during the budgeting process. And he backed a bill to do just that, but the effort stalled in the Legislature.

Other promised reforms have also failed, like redistricting, strict budget reforms, reining in state pensions and renegotiating exorbitant public-employee contracts. And those boxes the governor was going to blow up? They're still there.

But give Schwarzenegger his due. He made a valiant effort in all these cases. Ultimately, though, he couldn't get the system, the Legislature or, in some cases, the voters, to go with him.

When it comes to his unfulfilled promises, Schwarzenegger's problem isn't that he broke his word, but that he entered office with unrealistic expectations for what he could achieve. He wasn't alone. We all hoped the action hero could shake up Sacramento.

And in many key areas, he has. He has repealed the tripling of the car tax, passed workers' comp reform, increased the minimum wage, and not raised taxes -- just as he said he would.

All in all, a pretty solid record. As far as political promise-keepers go, Schwarzenegger may not have lived up to his Hollywood hype, but he hasn't exactly descended into the Sacramento sludge, either.