BUDGET DAY PLUS 36 -- He knew he would get the question.

At a late afternoon news conference to discuss the budget, Governor Schwarzenegger attemped to explain his apparent change of heart on whether he'd ever support a tax increase. His answer was complicated... which reflects the reality of the budget mess... even though his earlier statements on the issue were crystal clear.

Foremost on that list of earlier statements: a Schwarzenegger campaign event on August 16, 2006 in Sacramento, where flanked by anti-tax crusaders, the governor removed all earlier doubt about whether he would ever jump on board the Tax Train, as had his Democratic opponent:

Here was his answer last month about the issue at an event in Sacramento:

And here's the governor today, in answering the question I posed to him, suggesting the sales tax increase he reportedly placed on the table was part of a "brainstorming" session:

"Tough decisions have to be made," Schwarzenegger went on to say, also calling for compromises on all sides.

That would seem to be a reasonable request... which is why it's stll so baffling that the governor, up in the polls and the odds-on favorite to beat Democrat Phil Angelides, would have made such an ironclad statement in 2006.