Politicians who gathered at the Anaheim Marriott Friday night for the California Republican Convention got a special treat – a visit from the “Governator.”

While waiting for the guest of honor, delegates ate dinner while watching Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama square off in the first of several debates over the next few weeks.

The debate centered around questions of foreign policy, including relations with Iran, recent developments in Russia and the war in Iraq.

Both candidates handed down sharp retorts. When Obama referenced McCain’s support of the war, McCain returned with, “The next president … is not going to have to address the issue as to whether we went into Iraq or not … (but) how we leave it.”

When McCain cited successes after the troop surge, Obama shot back with, “John, you like to pretend like the war began in 2007.”

In the middle of the debate, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger arrived, to the standing ovation of the several hundred in attendance. The governor offered a short speech in support of McCain, calling him “the only candidate that knows math – he knows when you don’t have the money, you don’t go out and spend it.”

According to Ron Nehring, chairman of the California Republican Party, having Schwarzenegger’s support is a “tremendous asset” to McCain’s campaign.

“Schwarzenegger is the world’s most famous Republican,” Nehring told The Chimes in an interview, calling the endorsement “a big deal.”

Also attending the kick-off night were supporters from various Republican groups around the state. The San Diego Young Republicans, a club focusing on the 22-40 age group, hosted one of several parties at the hotel that evening.

Mark Kersey, president of the San Diego Young Republicans, thought McCain made a strong showing at the debate.

“I think McCain showed a level of energy that perhaps we haven’t seen in a while,” Kersey said. “He was very sharp, quick, witty … that’s not always a side we see.”

Though Kersey praised McCain’s confidence on foreign policy issues during the debate, he acknowledged that foreign policy is taking a back burner to the urgency of the situation on Wall Street.

“We’re barely more than a month from the election and now we have this issue dropped in the middle of the campaign,” Kersey said of this week’s $700 billion economic bailout proposal. “It’s a major crisis and [the candidates] have got to figure out how to deal with it.”

The California Republican Party convention will continue through Sunday. Guest speakers at the event include Mitt Romney and former governor Pete Wilson.