$500,000 FINE!

Cheney to Leahy on the senate floor: "Go fuck yourself".

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.

Really, Mister Kellems?

I seem to remember Vice Presidential candidate Cheney happily approving a Bush's characterization of a journalist as a "major league asshole". And I'm sure he didn't mind when Bush poked his head into Condi's office in March 2002 and said "Fuck Saddam! We're taking him out!"

And to have the blood pressure he has, he must bust out the sailor-talk every now and then.

Now, to be honest, I don't mind some good ol' swearin from time to time. But frankly, these guys are running out of areas in which they can say they "changed the tone".

Since he was on the Senate floor, did it get picked up by CSPAN? And if so, when's Michael Powell gonna knock on Dick's office door, waiting for his check?