Warren Beatty says he isn't ruling out running for governor of California, and thinks he could do a better job than Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"I don't think anyone should ever rule public service out," Beatty said. "It's a way of saying, 'Take me out of the mix and don't listen to me any more.'."

The actor made the remark after giving a commencement address to graduates of University of California Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy. Beatty, who has been involved in politics for years, played a senator in the 1998 movie "Bulworth" and entertained the idea of running for the presidency six years ago.

Beatty, 68, said he has "a real soft spot for actors even if they are right wing," and has always liked Schwarzenegger. But the former action star is a politician who should "rise to the higher level of that calling," Beatty said, and not denigrate fellow politicians by mocking them as "girlie men," as the governor did of Democratic lawmakers last summer. "Can't we accept that devotion to the building of the body politic is more complex and a little more sensitive than devotion to body building?" Beatty asked.

Schwarzenegger deputy press secretary Vince Sollitto said of the criticism: "I'm sure it's nothing personal. Warren's just mad at Republicans because he's afraid they're cutting off his Social Security."

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