California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is under attack after a tape was leaked to the Los Angeles Times. The six minute tape recording included a remark by Gov. Schwarzenegger saying Republican Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia has “hot” Latino blood.

The tape recording was taken from a restricted area of Schwarzenegger’s Web site, and police believe the governor’s Web site was hacked and the tape released to the Times in order to hurt Gov. Schwarzenegger.

On the tape, Schwarzenegger said, “I mean Cuban, Puerto Rican, 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.”

Schwarzenegger also apologized and said he didn’t mean for it to be offensive or hurtful. Schwarzenegger said, “All of them understood it was an off-the-record conversation. It was not meant to be in any negative way.”

It seemed it didn’t matter for the Los Angeles Times that this was actually an off the record comment since they still reported on the tape. The Los Angeles Times has a liberal bias and this is one of the many examples. The Times still used the tape because they knew this could potentially hurt Schwarzenegger and help promote their agenda.

Garcia says she wasn’t offended and thinks it was a misunderstanding. Garcia also said “I love the governor because he is a straight talker just like I am. 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.”

This seems to be a new way to smear a politician by taking what the governor said and use it out of context to try to make a cheap shot against him. Democrats have spoken out against him even though Garcia wasn’t offended and said it was just an inside joke.

“Once again, Gov. Schwarzenegger has used language that is deeply offensive to all Californians and embarrassed our state,” said Democrat Phil Angelides.

What the opposition doesn’t mention was Schwarzenegger told the joke to Chief of Staff Susan Kennedy, who is a Democrat, and that Kennedy mentioned on the tape that Republican legislature is a “wild bunch” and is a “unique, unruly group.”

It’s ridiculous to try to make attacks like these when it is obvious that the governor was joking and both Kennedy and Schwarzenegger were joking about Republicans. I have heard harsher things said by Democrats like “racist,” “fascist” and “war monger” which are used against Republicans and especially used against the president.

It’s unfair to try to make an issue out of the Schwarzenegger comments when Democrats say harsher things to our president on a daily basis. This was just a cheap shot at the governor since he is up for re-election this November in California.

Not all Democrats think Schwarzenegger said anything offensive; like Democratic Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez. A spokesman for Nunez said the governor “has always been very respectful toward Latinos.”

It’s good to see some Democrats actually see this incident for what it is: a misunderstanding. The opposition is going to need more than these cheap shots to try to beat Schwarzenegger in the polls this November since he is a strong candidate to win re-election.

Send comments to Alan Calcaterra at [email protected].