Houston Congressman Ted Poe is not shy when it comes to speaking his mind, but a recent comment is sparking new controversy.

That controversy is being fueled by bloggers who making their opinions known.

“Nathan Bedford Forrest, successful confederate general, said it best when talking about victory and winning and the means to do so, when he said, ‘get their furstus with the mostus,’” Rep. Poe, often colorful and always unconventional, said on the house floor.

AP

Rep. Ted Poe

The next morning colorful had turned to contemptible on Web sites like skinnylegs.com, crooksandliars.com and dozens more.

Rep. Poe had his own defenders blogging from the right, of course.

“It’ll have a two-day run,” Rice Professor Bob Stein said.

Stein didn’t think quoting a racist confederate general, even if he was a KKK leader, would kick up much dust.

A nice phrase, but one that appeared in one Web site after another along with whole paragraphs of copy — a quick indication that while they view their sites as the moon and stars over Washington they are mostly products of cut and paste.

“I’ve almost quit reading blogs,” Stein said.

Stein said searching for the nuggets of new information gets old.

“It’s just too much,” he said. “You get weary.”

No one really knows how many political blogs and Web sites there are out there. Researchers are looking for the number even now, but most everyone concedes it has to be in the thousands.

“Congress needs to send the generals the ‘mostus,’ Mr. Speaker,” Rep. Poe said on the house floor.

Politically, quoting a Ku Klux Klan leader opens the door for trouble.

But stein has known Rep. Poe for years.

“He’s no more a racist than any white male,” Stein said.

But for a day or two at least, he gave the bloggers a chance to show off their work.

Whether they kicked up some dust is yet to be seen.