pussy

Hi,

“Solidifying his reputation as one of the biggest pussies in U.S. political history, Reid explained his decision to refocus his party's energies on topics other than ending the war by saying he just couldn't fit Iraq into his busy schedule.”
Collins: taboo slang chiefly US - an ineffectual or timid person

How come a taboo word is used in a serious article? Has it become acceptable?
Thank you.

No, it hasn't become acceptable in the mainstream press. That article appeared in "Rolling Stone" magazine, which is primarily a rock music magazine with a liberal bent, whose writers don't shy away from the use of vulgar language.

It's unlikely you would find speech like this in a respectable newspaper like the New York Post or Washington Times....

Thank you both.