WHAT'S THE OPPOSITE OF 'HOT SEAT'?

Sports fans who watch ESPN are familiar with what's called "The Budweiser Hot Seat," into which a sports figure is placed and then must field a rapid-fire series of questions — often tough ones — from a network sportscaster.

This afternoon, as he began to mount a public relations campaign to pressure legislators to settle their budget differences, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger put himself into what might be called the opposite of a hot seat. A nice, comfy sofa is what it was.

Schwarzenegger returned to his favorite medium, talk radio, to deliver his message of support for two measures that have become central to budget negotiations: repeal of a law that prohibits school districts from contracting with private companies for certain services and another that allows private parties to sue employers over violations of labor law violations.

Up first Friday afternoon was Tom Sullivan, afternoon host on Sacramento's KFBK. After Schwarzenegger delivered his brief scripted remarks, Sullivan gushed: "Governor Schwarzenegger, the people love what you're doing... Let's support him... I'll certainly do my part."

On the hot seat, someone might have asked a question instead. For instance, what do those two issues have to do with the state budget?