What began as a simple debate answer on the topic of alternative energy set the blogosphere on fire and even prompted responses from both presidential campaigns.

Video: 'That One' | Survey: 'That One' Offensive?

During Tuesday's debate at Belmont University, moderator Tom Brokaw asked Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain if America should "fund a Manhattan-like project that develops a nuclear bomb to deal with global energy and alternative energy" or many small projects.

McCain responded by saying he believes U.S. investment in research is appropriate, but it should make its way to the private sector.

What he said afterward, however, goaded many, many people.

"By the way, my friends, I know you grow a little weary with this back-and-forth. It was an energy bill on the floor of the Senate loaded down with goodies, billions for the oil companies, and it was sponsored by Bush and Cheney," said McCain. "You know who voted for it? You might never know. That one. You know who voted against it? Me. I have fought time after time against these pork barrel -- these bills that come to the floor and they have all kinds of goodies and all kinds of things in them for everybody and they buy off the votes."

Those two little words didn't evoke any response on the debate floor. But even before the debate had come to a close, bloggers leaning to the left and to the right pounced and politicos raced to the Internet to make sure they had heard McCain correctly.

A blogger with Newsweek called it "dismissive (even dehumanizing)," others said it made McCain look cranky.

“It reminds you that McCain is sort of angry and agitated. He looked uncomfortable,” said Robert Gibbs, communications director with the Obama campaign. “I guess the pillow seat wasn’t soft enough. He stood and walked around.”

From the other side of the aisle, it was the response to McCain's comment that was questioned.

“I’m shocked that at a moment of national crisis, where our economy is on the minds of every single person, I am shocked that they are again proving to be the fussiest campaign in American history," CBS political analyst and McCain spokesman Nicole Wallace said.

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe touched on the comment in a post-debate statement.

“John McCain was all over the map on the issues, and he is so angry about the state of his campaign that he referred to Barack Obama as ‘that one’ -- last time he couldn’t look at Senator Obama, this time he couldn’t say his name,” Plouffe said.

Asked about the remark, McCain campaign adviser Charlie Black said he didn't believe McCain meant any disrespect and that Obama's campaign was spinning the remark.

"I'd have to go back and look at it. It appears to me that the Obama campaign decided before the debate that they would come in the spin room and instead of debating the issues they would say 'John McCain is erratic,'" Black told reporters. "The American people think a lot of things about John McCain, but they don't think he's erratic. They [the Obama campaign] don't have any substance in this debate, so let 'em say it."