OMEN
09-09-2006, 09:04 AM
http://xtramsn.co.nz/homepage2/imageLargeView/0,,6279508,00.jpeg
California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was left blushing after being caught on tape calling Cubans and Puerto Ricans "hot".
The actor-turned-politician, who is up for re-election in November, made the blunder during a meeting with members of his inner circle last spring. During the session, Schwarzenegger can be heard discussing the ethnic background of Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia with chief of staff Susan Kennedy.
Unable to decide whether the Republican is Cuban or Puerto Rican, he says: "I mean they are all very hot.
"They have the, you know, part of the black blood in them and part of the Latino blood in them that together makes it."
The six-minute recording, obtained by the LA Times, consists of a relaxed banter between Schwarzenegger and his aides and offers an unusual glimpse behind the scenes of his administration.
On Friday the Terminator star, who occasionally records private sessions so speechwriters can keep a record of his thoughts, apologised for his slip-up.
"Anyone out there that feels offended by those comments, I just want to say I'm sorry," he said.
"I apologise because that was not the intention.
"The fact is that if I would hear those kind of comments in my house, by my kids, I would be upset."
But the "hot" assemblywoman at the centre of Schwarzenegger's embarrassment insisted there was no need for an apology.
"I love the governor because he is a straight talker just like I am," she said.
"Very often I tell him, 'Look, I am a hot-blooded Latina'.
"I label myself a hot-blooded Latina that is very passionate about the issues, and this is kind of an inside joke that I have with the governor."
She added: "I am not mad that he recognizes that I am passionate about the issues, and I am not mad that he allows me to tell him exactly what I think and what's on the minds of people in my community.
"So again, there is no need to apologise."
During the meeting, Schwarzenegger also describes Republican legislators as the "wild bunch", while Kennedy says Assembly Republican leader George Plescia resembles a startled deer.
Other participants in the conversation include Schwarzenegger's chief speechwriter Gary Delsohn, and Walter Von Huene - a former TV director who is a close friend of the governor.
On the recording Kennedy and Schwarzenegger review an exchange between the chief of staff and Assemblyman Kevin McCarthy - Plescia's predecessor.
"You really p*ssed him off," Schwarzenegger says.
"But you know something? You p*ssed him off because it hit home. That's why it p*ssed him off.
"People always get irritated, always when you hit something that is the truth. That's when people flame out."
The governor later discusses whether Plescia can "control that wild bunch upstairs" - the Assembly's Republicans - "because that is like a very, uh, unique, uh, unruly bunch of guys and girls."
Schwarzenegger's spokeswoman Margita Thompson, said the remarks had been "taken totally out of context".
"The governor respects every member of the Legislature and holds them in the highest regard," she said.
"It is not uncommon for him to have fun and joke with the members while they're working, especially during very tense negotiations."
Splash
California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was left blushing after being caught on tape calling Cubans and Puerto Ricans "hot".
The actor-turned-politician, who is up for re-election in November, made the blunder during a meeting with members of his inner circle last spring. During the session, Schwarzenegger can be heard discussing the ethnic background of Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia with chief of staff Susan Kennedy.
Unable to decide whether the Republican is Cuban or Puerto Rican, he says: "I mean they are all very hot.
"They have the, you know, part of the black blood in them and part of the Latino blood in them that together makes it."
The six-minute recording, obtained by the LA Times, consists of a relaxed banter between Schwarzenegger and his aides and offers an unusual glimpse behind the scenes of his administration.
On Friday the Terminator star, who occasionally records private sessions so speechwriters can keep a record of his thoughts, apologised for his slip-up.
"Anyone out there that feels offended by those comments, I just want to say I'm sorry," he said.
"I apologise because that was not the intention.
"The fact is that if I would hear those kind of comments in my house, by my kids, I would be upset."
But the "hot" assemblywoman at the centre of Schwarzenegger's embarrassment insisted there was no need for an apology.
"I love the governor because he is a straight talker just like I am," she said.
"Very often I tell him, 'Look, I am a hot-blooded Latina'.
"I label myself a hot-blooded Latina that is very passionate about the issues, and this is kind of an inside joke that I have with the governor."
She added: "I am not mad that he recognizes that I am passionate about the issues, and I am not mad that he allows me to tell him exactly what I think and what's on the minds of people in my community.
"So again, there is no need to apologise."
During the meeting, Schwarzenegger also describes Republican legislators as the "wild bunch", while Kennedy says Assembly Republican leader George Plescia resembles a startled deer.
Other participants in the conversation include Schwarzenegger's chief speechwriter Gary Delsohn, and Walter Von Huene - a former TV director who is a close friend of the governor.
On the recording Kennedy and Schwarzenegger review an exchange between the chief of staff and Assemblyman Kevin McCarthy - Plescia's predecessor.
"You really p*ssed him off," Schwarzenegger says.
"But you know something? You p*ssed him off because it hit home. That's why it p*ssed him off.
"People always get irritated, always when you hit something that is the truth. That's when people flame out."
The governor later discusses whether Plescia can "control that wild bunch upstairs" - the Assembly's Republicans - "because that is like a very, uh, unique, uh, unruly bunch of guys and girls."
Schwarzenegger's spokeswoman Margita Thompson, said the remarks had been "taken totally out of context".
"The governor respects every member of the Legislature and holds them in the highest regard," she said.
"It is not uncommon for him to have fun and joke with the members while they're working, especially during very tense negotiations."
Splash