Gov. Gray Davis deserves to be recalled. His performance has earned him record-low poll numbers because voters believe he is too arrogant, too nasty -- and that he would sell them out to any special interest that could help his career. Rather than shape up to fend off the recall, Davis has been acting as if his main goal is to prove to skeptical voters that they've been too kind to him.

Consider Tuesday night's speech -- you know, the one that had Davis taking "responsibility" for his plight. The buzz was that Davis would eat crow. Turns out the crow ate Davis.

Well, Davis did say, "I come here to take responsibility." Then he blamed Republicans and a "right-wing power grab" for the bad things -- blackouts, red ink and recall -- that happened on his watch. Having barely exhaled after uttering the other R-word, Davis refused to admit to any particular fault.

To start, Davis essentially blamed the governor who preceded him and the president who took office after the brownouts started -- the lights started going out in California in August 2000 -- for the energy crisis.

Then there is the governor's claim that the recall is "part of an ongoing national effort to steal elections Republicans cannot win."

Davis knows better. Yes, GOP Rep. Darrell Issa poured some $2 million into the recall effort. Issa came along, however, after the Bush White House and state politicos ran in terror from the very notion of this populist concoction.

And he knows how many Democrats don't like him.

But forget the speech. (I'm sure the guv's political gurus would love to.) The most offensive element of the New Gray Davis is his craven lurch to the left, as seen in his recent pledges to sign bills he wisely ducked during his first 56 months in office.

For some time now, state voters have suspected Davis would sell them out to save his own sorry skin. Now they know it. Continued...