Potty mouths

From the Mobile Register's "Political Skinny" Sunday:

Redding Pitt, the former U.S. attorney for north Alabama and former state Democratic chairman, found himself apologizing for a computer blunder and obscene language last week.

On Wednesday evening, a Mobile Register editor e-mailed several questions to Gov. Don Siegelman in hopes that the announced gubernatorial candidate would provide answers for an upcoming story. About two hours later, the editor received a response not from any of the e-mail addresses to which the original message had been sent, but from the e-mail address of Pitt, a longtime Siegelman friend and ally.

The message was brief, and the expletives used have been partially deleted for publication purposes: "F--- the b-----ds. We can beat them. I am serious. Redding."

After the Register editor messaged back Thursday inquiring whether the e-mail from Pitt constituted Siegelman's reply, Siegelman e-mailed to say, "This is certainly not my response. I have no idea where that came from. I will get back with you before your deadline. Don Siegelman."

Pitt then e-mailed and called the Register editor personally to apologize.

"Please accept my apology for the email which came to your address last night," Pitt wrote. "I have just become aware of this. It was late, I'd been working on something all day, and was attempting to comment, however crudely, on another matter. I was not aware that you had emailed me at all.

"Since I don't believe we have ever met, I hope you will not take this communication personally. It was not intended to refer to you or your colleagues, and was directed at another matter."