LOS ANGELES, Aug 26 (AFP) - Action movie star and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will walk a partisan tight-rope next week when he makes his national political debut at the Republican Party convention.
The avowedly moderate Republican will take the podium for conservative US President George W. Bush at the event in New York in a bid to smooth over some of the most fractious ideological divides within the party.
The overwhelmingly popular governor, who draws support from Republican, Democratic and independent voters in California, will be one of the main attractions of the four-day show when he delivers his speech to delegates on primetime television on Tuesday, two days before Bush accepts the party nomination.
But the "Terminator" star has been at pains to remain at arm`s length from Bush, who is widely unpopular in traditionally Democratic California which elected the socially liberal actor as its leader last October.
But with November`s tightly-contested presidential election just over two months away, the ex-body builder is now ready to flex his political muscle for Bush in a forum that will also allow him to show America his own political mettle.
"This is Governor Schwarzenegger`s national debut as a politician and it`s a very important moment for both him and the party," Republican Party political consultant Dan Schnur told AFP.
"Californians have got used to him as a governor, but for the rest of the country he`s still a cartoon character. This is his chance to set out what`s important to him as a politician rather than an action hero."
Political analysts say that if the politically canny Austrian-born Schwarzenegger`s speech is a success, it would rekindle speculation over a constitutional change to allow foreign-born Americans to become president.
But to pull off a coup both for himself and Bush, he will have to tread a delicate balance to avoid alienating either the party`s Christian right or his own Californian constituency.
Schwarzenegger, 57, has so-far kept campaigning with Bush to a minimum in California and has been publicly ambivalent over whether he is prepared to go out to bat for Bush outside of his home state.
The governor`s aides say he has no plans to meet Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney or top administration officials at the convention and that he may not even stay for Bush`s acceptance speech on Thursday.
"Schwarzenegger will go to New York not only as a Hollywood celebrity who can draw audiences, but also as a moderate voice of the party," said University of California, Berkeley professor of government, Bruce Cain.
"But he has got to walk a very fine line between praising President Bush and pleasing Californians.
"George W. Bush is not a popular man with Democrats in California. Schwarzenegger is taking a bit of a risk by singing the praises of Bush in a highly partisan context," Cain said.
But the "Govern-ator" has proved himself an adept politician and is likely to avoid traps by skipping over the most contentious issues within the party and among voters during his 15-20 minute speech.
Instead of evoking the explosive debates of gay marriage, abortion and stem-cell research -- causes which Schwarzenegger supports -- he will tout Bush-friendly policies such as conservative economics, national security and issues that unite voters.
"I will characterise it as a very personal speech," said Schwarzenegger spokesman Rob Stutzman. "He`ll be effusive in his support for the president," he said stressing, however, the governor`s liberal social agenda.
"I expect he will emphasise economic and motivational issues about achieving the American dream, as he did," said Claremont McKenna College political scientist Jack Pitney.
Despite stand-offish relations between the White House and the governor, the administration will not be worried that his speech could open rifts, he said.
"I think he is clearly a big very plus for the Republicans. Even a lot of conservatives who would not want to hear a moderate speaker will make an exception for him.
"He always puts on a good show laden with references to his movie personae and has proved himself to be a highly intelligent politician," Pitney said.
"We won`t see him go off script to call for gay or abortion rights but he will appeal to moderate Republicans and prompt people to turn on their TVs for what will otherwise be a fairly unexciting line-up of speakers."