A DAY short of two weeks in office, new Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Brian Cowen earned his highest tally of column inches when his indiscreet use of an expletive in the Dail (Parliament) prompted a storm of criticism.Cowen uttered a profanity in an aside to Tanaiste (deputy prime minister) Mary Coughlan at the conclusion of a question and answer session in the chamber that was marked by heated exchanges between him and opposition leader Enda Kenny.Cowen had completed his response to a question from Labor Party leader Eamon Gilmore, who had argued that the National Consumer Agency and other bodies failed to intervene to prevent food and other consumer product price rises.As Coughlan, who is also the minister for enterprise, trade and commerce, stood to leave the chamber Cowen spoke to her. Their brief, private conversation was picked up by the microphones and heard by other Dail members and on the press gallery.Cowen told Coughlan, "Ring those people and get a handle on it, will you? Bring in all those f***ers."Initially, there was a presumption that Cowen was referring to members of the opposition. Later, however, it was established that he was referring to the state agency responsible for consumer protection.Still, there was uproar and much criticism of what was described as Cowen's unparliamentary language.Kenny said it was "conduct unbecoming." He added, "It's certainly not the kind of approach you would expect from the prime minister of the country."Fine Gael TD (member of Parliament) Dan Neville said Cowen's use of unparliamentary language was evidence of his "intolerance" for being asked difficult questions.Cowen at first stopped short of an apology for his language, going so far only as to say he "regretted" any offense that may have been caused by a casual exchange between working colleagues inadvertently and partially picked up by the Dail microphone.Later he delivered a full apology. "I don't want to make a mountain out of a molehill. But the fact of the matter is that a private comment was made to a colleague," he said."It wasn't appropriate. It isn't appropriate whether it's inside the Dail or outside the Dail and I apologize for it. I put my hand up. It's the mannerly and manly thing to do."The comments did not appear on the Dail record, giving credence to Cowen's assertion that they were made during the course of a private conversation. But the episode clearly prompted wariness among ministers in the chamber.According to Irish Times parliamentary reporter Michael O'Regan, Coughlan "glanced at her microphone with a new respect" when answering opposition questions during the order of business 24 hours after Cowen's gaffe.Cowen wasn't the first politician whose careless use of profanity sparked furor.Four years ago the then Defense Minister Michael Smith was being put under pressure by the opposition and as he sat back in his seat, unaware the microphone was still on, he muttered to a colleague "f*** it, we'll say no more."In 1995 when John Bruton was taoiseach he became annoyed during an interview with a local radio reporter. After telling her to stop recording, he said, "I am sick of answering questions about the f***ing peace process."Albert Reynolds, during a general election campaign in 1992, described a claim that he had never spoken to Progressive Democrats' leader Des O'Malley outside the cabinet as "crap, pure crap" and as "crap, total crap."His press secretary Sean Duignan later recalled in his book One Spin on the Merry-Go-Round that the comments cost Reynolds dearly in the election.