ARNOLD'S STRATEGIC SENSE
Robert Tagorda of Priorities & Frivolities argues that Arnold knows exactly what he's doing:
To be sure, Schwarzenegger has an unrelenting drive to succeed. But his ambition is precisely the reason why he skipped the debate.
Schwarzenegger believes that it's foolish to devote time and resources to every single event, because doing so can make him lose sight of the big prize. It's important to prioritize, as he writes in The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding:
You need to choose the right time and place to do battle. . . . You need to be confident of your battle tactics, know when to attack, when to withdraw, and how to conserve ammunition.
It's a smart post, with many good links, so read the whole thing. But Arnold still has to find the right time to talk specifics--and the right time isn't after the election.