SchwarzenTapes

Anything happen over the weekend? Oh, let's see. No, nothing there.

Oh wait: SOMEONE LEAKED MORE SCHWARZENEGGER TAPES TO THE L.A. TIMES!

These are pretty good, but certainly nothing compared to the incredible first story that rocked the 2006 election and ultimately backfired on Phil Angelides and left certain people very bitter. On the newly released tape, Schwarzenegger thinks state Senate leader Don Perata is a "sick man" and Maria Shriver has OCD when it comes to his speeches.

"She is relentless. I can only talk about things for so many times because then I like to lock it in, even if it's not perfect…. But she goes until the last day…. I said, 'Maria, it's over. It's in the teleprompter.' "

But the real strangeness seems to be Schwarzenegger himself. He's not like you and me. After two years on the job, he still is surprisingly naive about politicians who say one thing in private and another in public. And think about the following statements, which took place in a private meeting with his closest staff. They make Schwarzenegger sound strangely imperial, (perhaps because he knows his words might show up in a speech.) But:

In 2006, after working with Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez for a few years, he still feels the need to say Nunez is "a political operator coming from a union background." We'll, duh. The people in the room knew that. He offers Oprahesque bromides about race relations: "Make a point to go and take them to lunch, you know, somebody that is totally different than you.'' OK, governor, about the details on this bond financing legislation. Mexico is not "our enemy. ... This is our trading partner." Yes, that is true. Good point. And he says to his chief of staff: "We have to take care of our state and our state's population growth."

All basic stuff. Susan Kennedy gets the conversation back to earth by responding: "You're such a flaming liberal."

The Angelides campaign downloaded 100 hours of audio files from the Schwarzenegger administration. (One-on-one interviews with reporters, press conferences, speeches, and private conversations.) After the jump, a statement by Schwarzenegger spokesman Adam Mendelsohn, who seems very upset, and a transcript of recordings he released late last night.

(Photo:  Johanna Coyne / AP)

Governor Schwarzenegger's Communications Director Adam Mendelsohn issued the following statement in reaction to another "secret" leak of audio files:

"In what can only be called reprehensible and shameful, those associated with the Phil Angelides campaign have leaked the private conversations of Governor Schwarzenegger to the media again.  This type of behavior is exactly why people have such a low opinion of politicians.

"There are over three hours of private tapes. They show a Governor who is thoughtful, concerned and focused on solving some of California's most serious problems. Governor Schwarzenegger discusses his hope of inspiring kids to accomplish their dreams.  He shares his ideas on tolerance and the need for 'as many tolerance museums as gymnasiums.'  The Administration is releasing the recordings in their entirety to the media because the people of California deserve all the information directly rather than through anonymous leaking."

"On four separate occasions our speech writer recorded the Governor during practice sessions. The purpose of these sessions was to have a free flowing, private discussion about a wide range of topics. The information was then used for speeches, opinion pieces, and to develop policy statements for the Governor. There were no additional recordings."

The following are excerpted statements from the Governor's recorded practice sessions with chief speechwriter Gary Delsohn:

FILE 1:

TIME: 28:15-29:35  Governor Schwarzenegger: But, there is another time when you want to be able to stand there and to say you know you kids, you can do anything you want - anything. You can be this, you can be a champion, you can be an actor, any - how about being another Terminator, or maybe Governor? You're all winners - this is unbelievable... You're winners... You know. We want you to say no to drugs and no to gangs and no to violence.

FILE 2:

TIME: 16:00-16:40  Governor Schwarzenegger: I think it would be good to go - maybe go, go sometimes just to some of those colleges, you know, in in LA, San Diego or Oakland - or wherever Bay Area, and to talk to the kids, that - you know, why that is unacceptable. How we can fight prejudice. Promote tolerance. And talk about how we are the same. You know, why is it that we just feel different about the other person. Why do we want to have violence against someone else.

TIME: 17:53-19:00  Governor Schwarzenegger: That's how - that's why I got involved with the Simon Wiesenthal Center that always talks about tolerance and I have gone around the country to promote the Simon Wiesenthal Center and promote to build another one in Ord and in Jerusalem and all of those things, how we should have more centers - I always say that we should have as many centers for tolerance as we have gymnasiums because in gymnasiums are there to keep your body fit. And the more gymnasiums appeared all over the country and all over the world, the more people had the chance to work out. And the more we would have centers that talk about tolerance and inclusion - you know, that we can see museums and the shows - see the history of what happens when you don't do that, see what happens.

FILE 4:

TIME: 45:36-46:35  Governor Schwarzenegger: They will hear from people that all have the greatest of intentions, to make this the greatest economy, to make the businesses great, to make the state great and all this. But it will be different opinions. Some think that those goals are too tough to meet. Some will be saying, you know, it's impossible to do business like that. Some will be saying this is the greatest thing that ever happened. Some will be hailing us as the most inventive - you know. But let me just tell you - and then just go into it - it will take sacrifices, yes... (46:35) To show that: How we all have to just chip in.