Last night on MSNBC's Hardball, Congressional firebrand Alan Grayson told Dick Cheney to "STFU," which in Internet parlance means "shut the f*ck up." The freshman rep from Florida was commenting on Dick Cheney's accusation that President Obama may be guilty of giving "aid and comfort" to the enemy.

"You know, on the Internet there's an acronym that's used to apply to situations like this," He said. "It's called 'STFU.' I don't think I can say that on the air, but I think you know what that means."

Chris Matthews, Hardball's 63-year-old host, didn't quite get it, "Give me the first part."

"Shut."

"Oh I get it," Matthews responded. "Stop talking in crude language."


Liberal blogs are bravoing the congressman's crude swipe, while conservatives critiqued his manners. Here's what ensued:

• The Liberal Irony Conservative blogger Allahpundit skewers the response of left-wing news site Talking Points Memo: "The post accompanying this clip at TPM giggles merrily at Grayson's 'signature wit' even though (a) recycling a 15-year-old Internet acronym for lowest-common-denominator shock value is neither witty nor signature, and (b) TPM would surely have had itself a politically calculated fainting spell had Eric Cantor resorted to something as mildly outré as a 'second base' analogy of the sort Grayson indulges in here."

• Let's Compare Grayson and Wilson, writes John McCormack at The Weekly Standard: "Just in case you didn't know, STFU means 'shut the f--- up." But at least Grayson didn't say something as uncouth as You lie.'

• Filling a Niche, writes Steve Benen at The Washington Monthly: "There's room on the rhetorical spectrum from staid, clinical wonkery to unapologetic firebrands. Grayson, love him or hate him, is filling a niche."

• Bravo, Grayson, cheers ChattaBox: "What's truly shameful is Dick Cheney's dishonorable behavior since leaving office. It's ironic that he attacks our President as someone who does not love America, when Cheney has shown nothing but contempt for our country and the rule of law."

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John Hudson