The president’s press shop will be playing clean up on this one today.

In a Rolling Stone interview with the president—an excerpt of which was published on the blog of Politico’s Mike Allen—writer Douglas Brinkley quotes President Obama using some choice words about his opponent Mitt Romney.

From the excerpt on Politico:

“As we left the Oval Office, [Rolling Stone] executive editor Eric Bates told Obama that he had asked his six-year-old if there was anything she wanted him to say to the president. … [S]he said, ‘Tell him: You can do it.’ Obama grinned. … ‘You know, kids have good instincts,’ Obama offered. ‘They look at the other guy and say, “Well, that’s a bullshitter, I can tell.”’”

The story was gaining traction this morning on news websites and on Twitter.

Business Insider called it “the first time we can ever recall a president using that sort of language in an interview.” (During the presidential election of 1828, opponents of Andrew Jackson called him a “jackass”—though I’m not sure if that was in an interview.)

Neither the Obama nor the Romney camps have offered a response—yet.

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