(Image source: House.gov ) BY STEVEN SPARKMAN ANCHOR JASMINE BAILEY The days leading up to the fiscal cliff were obviously tense, but a new article by Politico sheds some light on just how frustrated the two sides were with each other. One exchange in particular stands out, when House Speaker John Boehner dropped the F-bomb on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Friday. ( Video via WNBC ) “‘Go f— yourself,’ Boehner sniped as he pointed his finger at Reid, according to multiple sources present. Reid, a bit startled, replied: ‘What are you talking about?’ Boehner repeated: ‘Go f— yourself.’” Boehner then reportedly bragged about standing up to Reid to his colleagues. There were several other juicy tidbits in the Politico story, but they all point to one thing. “It is an indication of the poisonous atmosphere up here. It portends another bitter battle when the extension of the sequestration runs out in another two months.” ( Video via Fox News ) Boehner’s outburst has gotten a lot of attention. An ethics blogger says verbally abusing one’s opponents is beneath such a high office. “Americans should expect their elected officials to conduct themselves with the dignity, honor and civility their positions demand.” But Boehner does have his defenders. Congresswoman Maxine Waters first heard about the exchange on air. Here’s her response . “I don’t know that he said that. … Oftentimes people do say things and they say them in ways that to others may seem unacceptable. … It just happens to be the way that sometimes Americans express themselves.” A writer for The Atlantic says, on some level, the outburst was understandable. “To be fair to Boehner, just one day earlier Reid had called him a dictator on the floor of the Senate, telling the whole country in a widely televised speech that the Speaker cared more about protecting his job than doing what was right for the American people.” Boehner isn’t the only politician caught dropping the F-bomb on Capitol Hill. Joe Biden casually said the word into an open mic after President Obama signed the health care law, calling it “a big f-ing deal.” ( Video via CNN ) And back in 2004, Vice President Dick Cheney directed the same obscenity Boehner used at Senator Patrick Leahy on the floor of the Senate. ( Via The Washington Post )