Newly-released audio recordings of private meetings between the Governor and staffers offer a rare, intimate glimpse of Schwarzenegger at work. They also show the Governor as harshly critical of Democratic leaders behind-the-scenes. From Sacramento, Marianne Russ reports.
The audio is muffled, but if you listen closely, you can hear the Governor calling Democratic Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata "a sick man."
In the conversation with aides, the Governor accuses Perata of trying to hold up a deal on the public works bond package that lawmakers eventually reached. In response, Perata says he isn't offended. During the more than three hours of audio tape, the Governor touches on everything from his respect for Nelson Mandela, to memories of his mother's vegetable garden.
The recordings were made in the first half of last year to assist the Governor's speechwriter. An excerpt was first published in September. The audio was obtained from the Governor's website by staffers with Phil Angelides' gubernatorial campaign. After investigators cleared the campaign of any wrong-doing, more audio surfaced. That's when the Governor's office released the tapes to the media.
