As Media Matters' Eric Boehlert noted earlier, The Associated Press today joined the fray of media outlets advancing the ridiculous narrative that President Obama's anger over the Gulf oil spill -- reflected by his “whose ass to kick” remark during a Today show interview -- is somehow not genuine.

Here's one more observation about the central question asked in the article, which was titled, “Obama's getting really, really mad -- or is he?” From the article:

Obama's salty comments broadcast on NBC's “Today” show on Tuesday raised questions about his escalating anger and angst -- are they real or calculated for political effect?

So the AP is questioning whether Obama's “whose ass to kick” remark was “calculated,” which suggests that it was crafted before the interview, as the AP says, “for political effect.”

But the AP's question ignores the context surrounding Obama's remark. Left unmentioned in the article was the fact that co-host Matt Lauer specifically asked Obama to respond to critics who say "[t]his is a time to spend more time in the Gulf and -- I never thought I'd say this to a president but -- kick some butt."

Obama's “ass to kick” remark was a clear reflection of Lauer's question, so it doesn't make any sense for the AP to suggest that Obama's answer was somehow “calculated” or pre-scripted.

Does the AP really think that Obama crafted this line beforehand just in case Lauer specifically asked him whether he should “kick some butt”?