What's the Relationship Between 130 Ex-Congressmen and Low-Roader Alan Grayson?

When one congressman is so salty he creeps out another congressman, you know you've got a problem.

Seems the offensively salty lawmaker is -- surprise, surprise -- our boy.

Yes, Florida's go-nuclear Democrat, U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, falls under the category of "good reason why more than 130 former members of Congress wrote a letter to every congressional candidate in both parties" last week, begging them to cut out the personal attacks and "focus on promise solving."

The news organization Politico, in its coverage of the group of bipartisan ex-congressmen called Former Members of Congress for Common Ground, made a special point of calling out Grayson for the "Taliban Dan" ad he leveled at Republican Daniel Webster, his opponent in November.

We cant continue the way we have gone in the past. People want to cut the childish political posturing, said former Rep. John Porter, R-Ill., who with another former representative, Democrat David Skaggs of Colorado, launched the group responsible for the letter.

With the problems facing the country," Porter continued, "our campaigns have become an embarrassment to democracy.

Porter blames a political nominating process that favors ultra-extreme views and political consultants who encourage negative campaigns because it, unfortunately, works.

Besides Grayson, Politico singled out Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, a Republican, who this summer said that President Barack Obama was turning the United States into a nation of slaves.

The Former Members of Congress association lists 557 members on its website. Some of the names are significant. But strangely among the missing are Republicans Newt Gingrich and Tom DeLay and Democrats Tom Foley and Dick Gephardt.