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Jon Fleischman

Today’s Commentary: TapeGate II — And the Folsom Prison Blues

FR friend Adam Mendelsohn had to work a lot over the weekend, as Phil Angelides and/or his operatives have released more of their secret cache of audio recordings of Governor Schwarzenegger with his speechwriters, that were famously extracted from the Governor’s computer system by crafty though questionable techniques. Of course Cathy Calfo, who managed Angelides’ losing bid, denies they released the tapes (again). Riiiight. The Governor’s office released the following statement from Mendelsohn:

"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 speechwriter 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 release from the Governor’s office then goes on to list four excerpts that the Governor’s office would like you to read, as opposed to the ones that have been latched onto by the media. Since our space here is precious, we have decided not to include these non-controversial quotes here. I am happy to link to them if the Governor’s office puts them online (!). Of course, read any of the many stories on the main page to see what choice things the Governor says about Senate President Pro-Tem Don Perata, Speaker Nunez, and others…

**There is more – click the link**

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