WASHINGTON - The amber streams of tobacco and saliva that flow from his mouth and into the nearest available trash can are a source of embarrassment for Conrad Burns.

"You don't want to exploit a guy's vices," the Montana Republican senator said, when asked about his use of chewing tobacco. "What if I liked to chase girls? Would you ask about that?"

Burns' colleague, Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., insists that the former high school football referee and auctioneer should hold his head high, rather than hang it in shame.

Bunning, who was a star pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies and was inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame in 1996, says the brown streams of tobacco juice Burns spits out are an artery of the United States.

"Go around the Capitol and you will see tobacco leaves all over," Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., said. "It's just the history of our great Republic."

Tobacco is native to the Americas and played a central role in the success of the Jamestown Colony. It was the staple crop for the colonies, and according to the Joseph Roberts book, "The Story of Tobacco in America," it was so valuable that it was used as legal tender. During the American Revolution it was used to pay interest on loans from France and purchase supplies for the soldiers, according to Roberts.

During the Revolution, George Washington, who was then commander of the Revolutionary Army, is reported to have told the colonists, "If you can't send money, send tobacco." Washington and the nation's third president, Thomas Jefferson, grew tobacco on their plantations.

Although tobacco production strengthened the presence of slavery, "golden leaf" designs are sprinkled throughout the Capitol building, including on the Corinthian columns in the old Senate chamber.

Bunning is proud of tobacco's role in America history and does not cast stones at Burns and his many former baseball teammates who chewed tobacco. Despite his defense of the product whose use has proven to cause cancer, the eight-time All-Star does not use it and also urges others not to pick up the habit.

Though he is the cofounder of the Northern Agricultural Network, Burns does not expound on the role of the weed in American history and usually tries to be as discreet as possible when expelling the mix of saliva and tobacco.

"I don't think it's a tradition one should be enamored with," Burns said. "It's just not socially acceptable."

While walking in the hallways of the Capitol or congressional office buildings, Burns will casually knock open the swinging door of a trash can and then spit the contents of his mouth into the plastic or metal receptacle. He performs the act so deftly that it appears that he has simply thrown a way a piece of garbage, rather than spit in the can.

While sitting in his office, Burns spits into a round, squat, metal trash can that is lined with a plastic bag. Despite the presence of the plastic bag, the spit hitting the can provides a background noise that resembles a leaky faucet during any conversation with Burns.

When asked if he ever misses the target, Burns responds, "My aim is good."

Burns' accuracy puts him head and shoulders above the men who filled the Senate during the 19th century. During that time a spittoon was located next to each desk on the Senate floor, but according to many observers senators often missed the mark.

While visiting the United States during the 1840s, the famous English author Charles Dickens was disgusted in general by Americans' use of tobacco and particularly amazed at the senators' poor aim.

In his book "American Notes," Dickens wrote that the House and Senate chambers' "handsome" carpets were covered by tobacco juice.

"The state to which these carpets are reduced by the universal disregard of the spittoon with which every honorable member is accommodated … do not admit of being described," Dickens wrote. "I will merely observe, that I strongly recommend all strangers not to look at the floor; and if they happen to drop anything, though it be their purse, not to pick it up with an ungloved hand on any account."

About 100 years after Dickens' visit, the spittoons were removed from the Senate. It is not clear if they were thrown out or are hidden in the dusty crawl space of a federal building.

"In the 1940s they did some renovations, and a lot of the spittoons disappeared," Senate Historian Office employee Betty Koed said. "They have a couple that are there for ceremonial reasons."

One is located next to the desk of Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and the other is located next to the desk of Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D.

"We've got spittoons on the floor, but we are not allowed laptops," said Sen. George Allen, R-Va., who started chewing tobacco when he was in college.

The former quarterback at the University of Virginia and son of the famous football coach with the same name is the only senator besides Burns who admits to chewing tobacco. Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., has led unsuccessful efforts to allow senators to bring laptops onto the floor of the Senate.

If Dickens' ghost were to visit the Senate, he would not find Allen or Burns spitting in either of the spittoons.

Allen, who always wears black cowboy boots with his suits, limits his chewing to when he is driving.

Burns is a more frequent user but said he does not chew tobacco when he is on the Senate floor or in a committee meeting. He describes it as a "terrible habit" and says he started using chewing tobacco when he was in the Marines.

If Burns' wife, Phyllis, and his daughter, Keely, who is a doctor in North Carolina, have their way, the number of senators who admit to chewing tobacco may soon be cut in half.

He says he has quit several times before and may do so again.

"I can quit," Burns said. "I can go cold turkey right now. You have to test yourself. Prove that you are not a slave to the habit."

Burns said that his doctors said that his use of chewing tobacco probably did not play a role in causing the colon cancer that is now in remission. That does not mean they approve of the habit.

"They always tell me to stop," Burns said, before spitting into the trash can.