Top 12 Stories of 2003:

#5: Arnold the Governator.

On August 6th, after rumors that he had decided otherwise, Ah-nold announced on, of all places, The Tonight Show, that he would indeed run for governor, saying that it was "the most difficult [decision] I've made in my entire life, except the one I made in 1978 when I decided to get a bikini wax."

Immediately, despite his distinct lack of a stance on any of the relevant issues, he became a front-runner in the race. When he did speak out, it was to bestow us with such gems as "I think that gay marriage should be between a man and a woman" or, speaking about the environment, "Don't worry about that!" Arnold even managed to somehow laugh away a burgeoning sex scandal and in the end, on October 7th, Davis was recalled, Schwarzenegger garnered 48% of the vote, and the era of the Governator commenced. Whether or not the new governor will be able to use his popularity to fix California's problems remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the California recall has been a veritable wet dream for joke writers everywhere. (Zach Kolkin/BOP)

The Top 12 Stories of 2003: