Top Profanities in Presidential History

AZ Central

Now, I'm not a man of swearing myself, but this is always fascinating to witness.

Nixon and LBJ had quite the potty mouths, I tell ya what.

"People said my language was bad, but Jesus, you should have heard LBJ," Nixon said of his predecessor.

Lyndon Johnson also used the surreptitious taping system, and as transcripts of the recordings were made available, a surprisingly profane side of the president was revealed. He told dirty stories, used the N-word and mused about his "bunghole."

And, of course, there's more.

"He wouldn't know how to pour piss out of a boot if the instructions were printed on the heel," Johnson said of a Kennedy aide.

"He can't fart and chew gum at the same time," he said of Gerald Ford

Richard Nixon (in a 1972 photo) carefully avoided cursing in public, and instead revealed his darker side during private meetings with staff in the Oval Office. The publication of edited transcripts from the first Nixon tapes in April 1974 shocked outsiders — including many supporters — because they showed a man so different from the image he cultivated during five national campaigns.

The number of times "[Expletive deleted]" appeared in transcripts — not to mention the actual content on the tapes — helped turn Congress and the country against Nixon, which led to his resignation.

A few highlights: "I really need a son-of-a-bitch like [Tom Charles] Huston who will work his butt off and do it dishonorably," Nixon said to Bob Haldeman. "Do you see what I mean? Who will know what he's doing and will — I want to know, too. And I'll direct him myself. I'll pitch it. I know how to play this game."

"I want those funds cut off, for that MIT," Nixon tells Haldeman in another confab. "You get a hold of [Caspar] Weinberger and say, 'I want the Goddamn funds, and I want them to know it now.' Get it done."

See the rest of them, here.