Boehner to Reid: ‘Go f— yourself’

WASHINGTON - As leaders scrambled to avoid the "fiscal cliff," the strains were showing even more behind the scenes.

Crossing paths in the White House lobby on Friday during a negotiating meeting, House Speaker John Boehner pointed his finger at Sen. Harry Reid and extended this greeting:

"Go f--- yourself."

"What are you talking about?" Reid replied.

"Go f--- yourself," Boehner repeated according to a report in Politico that said the exchange was witnessed by multiple sources. The anecdote shed light on the pressures facing leaders as they scrambled to avert economic turmoil.

The likely root of the speaker's unsubtle suggestion came a day earlier. That is when Reid in a Senate speech poked at Boehner, accusing him of running the House as a "dictatorship."

Reid charged Boehner was more concerned about saving his leadership job by bowing to tea party members than of keeping the nation on a firm fiscal footing.

"It is obvious what is going on around here," Reid said. "He is waiting until January 3 to get re-elected as Speaker before he gets serious with negotiations."

Boehner's office did not comment further Wednesday, but Reid made several indirect references to the confrontation.

"Unlike others in this Capitol, I'm not going to stoop to name calling," Reid said in a speech. "I just want people to work and do what they need to do."

Reid also mentioned ex-Nevada Gov. Mike O'Callaghan as someone who "could swear like no one you ever heard. But only he could do it. This massive man."

In other circumstances, Reid and Boehner are said to have a friendlier relationship. Boehner told author Bob Woodward in "The Price of Politics" that the two got along.

And their chiefs of staffs are said to enjoy a productive back-channel.

"Harry and I understand each other, like each other," Boehner told Woodward. "We don't agree on a lot of things, but we trust each other."

Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760.