Howard Stern ripped Dr. Laura Schlessinger a new one this morning on his radio show -- calling her an "a**hole" for the way she handled her racist controversy on "Larry King Live" last night.



It all went down on the "Howard Stern Show" on Sirius/XM -- where Howard picked Dr. Laura apart for saying she's quitting after her n-word rant ... and also schooled the doc on exactly how her "First Amendment rights" actually work.

Just listen ... it's awesome.

We took your questions today on everything -- including the Dr. Frank Ryan crash photos, Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt's divorce becoming final on Valentine's Day 2011, and Dr. Laura quitting radio after dropping the n-bomb on air.


Plus: The newest (alleged) jerkoff to be targeted by Gloria Allred.

This isn't the first time Dr. Laura has taken her marbles and gone home after getting mad ... TMZ has learned she did the same thing on the boob tube.



Dr. Laura -- now famous for repeatedly hurling the "N" word on the radio show she is now quitting  -- pulled the same stunt in 1999 when CBS TV offered her a talk show.  Dr. Laura had a bunch of strings she attached to the deal -- most interesting ... that CBS muzzle Howard Stern so he wouldn't talk crap on her.

CBS refused to make the concession, so Dr. Laura huffed out of there and instead did a disastrous show at Paramount -- where she bashed gays.

Oh yeah, one more ironic twist ... Dr. Laura misguidedly said on Larry King last night that she was quitting so she could exercise her First Amendment rights ... something she clearly wanted to deny Howard Stern.
 
That thin skin isn't just the work of a good spa. 

UPDATE: Howard talked about this story on today's show ... click here to hear it.