Morning Cup of Schadenfreude: Brought to you today by E. Scott Reckard who writes: Suggesting that Broadcom Corp. co-founder Henry Samueli deserves to go to prison, a federal judge Monday rejected a deal with prosecutors that would have given the Orange County billionaire probation for lying to regulators about his role in an alleged $2.2-billion stock-option scam.”

Top That Cup Off For You? Per Michael Rothfeld: “Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who rode into power on a wave of voter angst in the first recall of a California governor, now finds himself a target for removal as his own popularity is declining. The state’s well-financed prison guards union, the California Correctional Peace Officers Assn., is bankrolling a recall effort against Schwarzenegger.”

Another Cup In the Future? We’ll see: “The first test of Sarah Palin, untethered (to the campaign or a prepared text), will come later this week when she sits down with ABC News anchor Charles Gibson for an interview in Alaska. It will air on Thursday’s evening news.”

Michael Rothfeld writes today that the fires have brought out the best in Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger:

At every turn, he has drawn an unspoken contrast between his on-the-spot presence and the failures following Hurricane Katrina — emphasizing that the state has done everything in its power to help — and making public his letters and personal entreaties to Bush.

Commanding the fire effort has played to Schwarzenegger’s old strength as a world-famous celebrity thriving in the limelight and to his political preference for decisive action with immediate results, those who know him say.

But this loving tribute has rankled some of the governor’s critics — including a man named J.D. who has submitted this missive to the paper’s Op/Ed page (thanks for the cc, J.D.):

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