GRAZ, Austria--Those of us from his hometown here who have known Arnold Schwarzenegger a long time--indeed consider him a friend--never had any doubt that he could win the California election to become governor.

First, America is the land of immigrants: Where else but in America could an immigrant, a former bodybuilder turned Hollywood star, become governor? Second, as we know well, the word that defines Arnold is "discipline"; what he sets his mind to he gets. He would not be derailed by the lies that were told about him or by those dismissive of his abilities.

About the lies, let's be done with those right away. Not only is Arnold not a Hitler sympathizer; he actively helped both of us in our battles against neo-Nazis here in Austria. This help began very early in Arnold's teenage years and continued after he became a Hollywood star. Arnold did not forget us or his obligation to his hometown.

One of us (Alfred Gerstl) was a leader of the partisan resistance against the Nazi occupation and his grandfather was Cantor at a New York synagogue. On being released from prison in 1945, I determined to always make sure those around me understood the evil of Nazism. As Arnold was growing up, he used to listen intently to what I had to say. He worked out with my son Karl, and they and their friends would congregate at the Gerstl house afterward.

Once, in 1964, I took Arnold to see a lecture on Nazi crimes that a professor had organized here in Graz. Arnold was very affected by what he heard. Neo-Nazis had organized a demonstration against this professor, and I put together a counter-demonstration. There was an altercation, which was a foolish move for the other side since at that time Arnold had already begun working out with weights.

...Now a word about America. No one here was in the least surprised that America has embraced an immigrant in this way. America freed us from the Nazi period; America liberated the concentration camps. We Austrians are not just very fond of America, we admire it too. Nor is this just a generational thing for people with memories of the war. Our youth watches MTV and is every bit as influenced by the U.S. as we were. Our societies are very similar. So in Graz we're raising a toast to Arnold, our hometown boy, who now leads one of the most powerful states in our most important ally, the U.S.