[THURSDAY NOTE: Sometimes deciphering what the governor says is quite a task. I’ve noticed that a few of my newspaper colleagues thought the above quote was actually, “I never get stuck in a mode.” Works either way for me, although the official transcript sent out this morning also says the word was “mold”. But honestly, he’s probably the only one who knows for sure.–JM]

If ever a news conference could be whittled down into one thought, that quote from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger– in today’s announcement of his new top aide– pretty much says it all.

The governor took to the podium in the Capitol briefing room to make official the worst kept secret in Sacramento: he has tapped Susan Kennedy as his new chief of staff, a former deputy chief of staff to former Governor Gray Davis and the former executive director of the California Democratic Party.

Kennedy, 45, has served on the California Public Utilities Commission since 2003. She replaces Republican Pat Clarey as the leader of the governor’s administration inside the secluded executive offices known as the “Horseshoe.”

Both Schwarzenegger and Kennedy knew what they were going to be asked by reporters in the room: what message does it send when a Republican governor hands over the reins of his administration to a powerful Democrat?

The governor tried to make it clear: he’s not jettisoning his current approach to the job.

“She’s willing to take her Democratic philosophy aside,” said Schwarzenegger, “and to do the job, and to fulfill my vision, and to work and to implement my vision.”

The clamor from the diehard GOP has been, to say the least, not positive. Republicans took to the Internet all night and morning in blog postings criticizing the decision. One group has already launched a website, StopSusanKennedy.com, to try and convince the governor to cancel the deal.

But in a comment aimed directly at some of those critics (the governor said he’s personally called about 30 people), Schwarzenegger said, “they still don’t understand me enough, that I make decisions a lot of the time that are out of the ordinary.”

For her part, Kennedy took aim at Democrats who may think she’s sold out by working for the man they fought in this month’s special election. In fact, Kennedy said she supported and voted for every one of the governor’s initiatives.

“I’m tired of the partisanship,” said Kennedy. “I’m tired of the intolerance that has resulted in gridlock. And I felt it was time for me, as a Democrat, to put up or shut up.”

Meantime, the governor denied that this was the start of a big staff shakeup. But he also sounded a little mixed about whether the current team would be on much longer… saying at one point that “Everyone else is going to stay in their position”… and then just a few moments later adding, “There might be some changes as time goes on.”