Transportation Secretary to college grads: Watch what you tweet

One of the highest profile Republicans in President Obama's administration, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, said during a graduation speech that the internet is damaging political discourse in the country.

A Boston College student blogged that the announcement of him as commencement speaker produced "sighs of disappointment" was humorously pointed out by LaHood, the Boston Herald reported.

LaHood told the graduating class that the ease of websites like Facebook and Twitter as produced an "age of acrimony" in American politics, the paper reported.

"When you can tweet, or blog, or post to Facebook from a device that fits in your pocket, it’s easy to forget that your digital words can be far more callous and cutting than your verbal ones,” LaHood said, according to the newspaper. “People regularly type things on the Web that they would never say in person.”

LaHood is a former Republican congressman from Illinois who has emerged as a defender of President Obama's push for high-speed rail as conservatives have sharply criticized the proposals.