'Arnie and Arianna show' excerpts

Schwarzenegger said the debate was "very gentleman-like"

The much-anticipated televised debate between candidates for California governorship has quickly turned into a bad-tempered shouting match, as opponents traded salvoes of personal and political barbs.

Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, sparred with political commentator Arianna Huffington, an independent, with the pair trading bitter blows throughout much of the 90-minute debate in Sacramento.

When the often-outspoken Ms Huffington accused Mr Schwarzenegger of promoting tax loopholes for the rich, the Terminator star was quick to return a barrage of fiery criticism against his rival.

I just realised I have a perfect part for you in Terminator 4 Arnold Schwarzenegger

"Your personal income tax has the biggest loophole I've seen," Mr Schwarzenegger said, referring to allegations that Ms Huffington avoided payments on income tax.

In this election we are seeing the Rise of the Fundraising Machines Arianna Huffington

"I could drive my Hummer (Schwarzenegger's trademark four-wheel drive car) through it," he said.

"You know perfectly well I paid $150,000 in property and payroll taxes," she retorted. "I'm a writer and these past two years I was writing and researching a book, and I wasn't making $20m per violent movie."

The debate then became so heated that the moderator was forced to repeatedly remind the bickering pair - and the other three candidates - not to stray from the topics which they had been given the questions for in advance.

'Comedy Central'

When Mr Schwarzenegger tried to repeatedly interrupt Ms Huffington and then just spoke over her, she said: "This is the way you treat women, we know that."

Huffington said she was offended by Schwarzenegger's remarks

The remark - which pundits described as one of the sharpest during the debate - referred to much-publicised allegations of misogyny against Mr Schwarzenegger.

"I just realised I have a perfect part for you in Terminator 4," the movie star responded, apparently referring to a scene from his new Terminator 3: The Rise of the Machines film in which his character stuffs a female robot's head into a toilet.

The remark was quickly rebuffed by moderator Stan Statham of the California Broadcasters Association who said: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is not Comedy Central."

Bickering pair

At one point, the two foreign-born adversaries - Austrian-born Schwarzenegger and Greek-born Huffington - simply talked over each other to in order to get the attention of the cameras.

"I'm just going to continue and see who can speak loudest in an accent," said Mrs Huffington, prompting laughs in the audience.

She also accused the actor-turned-candidate of accepting huge campaign funds from groups that, as she put it, treated the state government "like an ATM machine".

"They put in their contributions and pull out a favour. In this election we are seeing the Rise of the Fundraising Machines," Ms Huffington said.

Recall race

Analysts say Wednesday's debate could prove crucial to the outcome of the gubernatorial race, with as many as one in five voters still undecided.

Next month's so-called "recall vote" will ask the people in California if they wish to remove Democratic Governor Gray Davis.

If they do, they will also be asked to select a replacement from over 130 candidates.