"Hardball" has American Prospect writer Ezra Klein on once a week.

But then Wonkette discovered that Klein had some not so nice things to say about NBC big wig Tim Russert on his Twitter page (to wit: "fuck him with a spiky acid-tipped dick").

Klein says he was joking and now he's locked his Twitter page.

But, in more tempered language, Klein declared on his blog that Russert and Brian Williams were the "Worst. Moderators. Ever." And:

It's almost impossible for me to convey the damage Tim Russert and Brian Williams are doing to the republic this evening.

Now, CQ's Eric Pfeiffer asks:

If this were just a random missive, it would be forgettable, albeit tasteless. But as Unpopular Front points out, Klein is a regular guest on MSNBC's "Hardball," which falls under the stewardship of Russert, NBC's main man in DC.

So, should Klein be banned from "Hardball" and other MSNBC programming as Unpopular Front suggests?

To be continued, I'm sure...

>UPDATE: Ezra writes in to FishbowlDC:

That Twitter was, of course, supposed to be private, and I thought it was. Its an inside-joke with friends precisely for its over-the-top obscenity. I would have never written this for public consumption. For what its worth, I regret that it crossed the private/public barrier, and fully believe that Tim Russerts sex life should accord precisely with his, and only his, preferences, whatever they might be.