There is a new low by the vice-president.
In Germany we say "der getroffene Hund bellt" meaning the dog that got hit
barks.

Cheney Utters 'F-Word' in U.S. Senate?

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President Dick Cheney blurted out the "F word"
at Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont during a heated exchange on the
Senate floor, congressional aides said on Thursday.

The incident occurred on Tuesday in a terse discussion between the two that
touched on politics, religion and money, with Cheney finally telling Leahy
to "f--- off" or "go f--- yourself," the aides said.

"I think he was just having a bad day," Leahy was quoted as saying on CNN,
which first reported the incident. "I was kind of shocked to hear that kind
of language on the floor."

"That doesn't sound like language the vice president would use but there
was a frank exchange of views," said Cheney spokesman Kevin Kellems.

According to congressional aides, Leahy said hello to Cheney following the
taking of the Senate group photo on the floor of the chamber.

Cheney, who is president of the Senate, then ripped into Leahy for the
Democratic senator's criticism this week of alleged war profiteering in
Iraq by Halliburton, the oil services company that Cheney once ran.

Leahy and other Democrats have called for congressional hearings into
whether the vice president helped the firm win lucrative contracts in Iraq
after the U.S.-led war that toppled Saddam Hussein.

During their exchange, Leahy noted that Republicans had accused Democrats
of being anti-Catholic because they are opposed to some of President Bush's
anti-abortion judges, the aides said.

That's when Cheney unloaded with the "F-bomb," aides said.

With the Senate sharply divided, Democrats and Republicans have had
numerous partisan battles in recent years on matters from taxes to health
care.

"Things have been pretty bad around here," said Sen. Max Baucus, a Montana
Democrat. "But as far as I know, as far as I'm concerned, this is a new
low."

According to Senate rules, profanity is not permitted while the chamber is
in session. But when the exchange occurred between Leahy and Cheney, the
Senate was not in session so there was technically no foul.

Earlier on Thursday, before word of the exchange spread, Senate Minority
Leader Tom Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat, stood in the chamber and spoke
of the need to improve civility with what he called the "politics of common
ground."

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