Anderson Cooper

Over the last several days, Republicans have been engaging in anti-tax tea-bagging parties, meant to demonstrate their displeasure with Barack Obama daring to do away with George W. Bush's tax code.

We won't mock the lunacy of these gatherings. Instead, we'll focus on the fodder such "tea-bagging" shindigs have provided for late-night talk show hosts and news anchors.

Anderson Cooper joined the fun on Tuesday.

At the end of a conversation with David Gergen, the director of the Center for Public Leadership, the political operative said the Republican party is in a position of weakness and is "'searching for their voice."

How could Cooper ignore such a set-up? He replied: "It's hard to talk when you're tea-bagging."

Watch the video below and then vote in our poll:

Anderson Cooper, Tea Bagging

Was Anderson Cooper's tea-bagging joke out of line?

Mmm. Yeah. Kathy Griffin will probably not be asked back to host New Year's Eve festivities on CNN next year, we're going out on a limb and guessing.

One minute, viewers are admiring Anderson Cooper's dashing good looks and listening to him talk about his favorite show, The Real Housewives of Atlanta.

The next? Kathy Griffin is screaming at a drunk guy heckling her on the street. While she had a decent comeback, you don't hear this on TV too much ...

I Don't Come to Your Job and ...

The war of words between Michael Lohan and CNN anchor Anderson Cooper doesn't appear to be going away - or getting any less funny.

While guest-hosting Live with Regis & Kelly, Anderson Cooper went off the Lohans, calling their reality show, Living Lohan, a "train wreck."

No argument here. But then he offered up this quote re: Ali Lohan:

"Allegedly a 14-year-old girl, who looks to be about 60, and I say that with concern and love," Anderson said of Lindsay's younger sister.

"She allegedly wants to be a singer and or actor-slash-performer of some sort ... striptease person, I don't even know."

Ali's mother, Dina Lohan, fired back at the CNN newsman, telling OK! Magazine, "People are just cruel! This is bad karma for him."

Rather than letting this fizzle out and moving on to something important, Anderson Cooper kept the war of words going on his show, AC360:

"Let me just reiterate, I feel bad for the 14-year-old daughter. She seems like a nice person, but she should be a kid, not in a [reality show]," he said.

That's when Ali Lohan's father, and Dina's ex, Michael Lohan, came to the teenager's defense, sounding off to Access Hollywood about the anchor:

"I think Anderson Cooper is an opinionated, hypocritical idiot who should be an adult and keep his opinion to himself. He is the last person to judge anyone, when he and his own family have their own issues."

Snap! Seems like AC is just calling it like he sees it - but did he go too far?