Allahpundit already highlighted this interview in his earlier post about the president oh-so-gently signaling to markets that they can probably start moving into Panic-Mode Lite over the upcoming debt-ceiling fight — the better with which to bludgeon Republicans for their political stubbornness, you see — but I think this particular snippet needs its own post. Just go ahead and let the temerity wash over you, via RCP:

During the course of my presidency, I have bent over backwards to work with the Republican party and have purposely kept my rhetoric down. I think I’m pretty well known for being a calm guy. Sometimes people think I’m too calm. And am I exasperated? Absolutely I’m exasperated because this is entirely unnecessary.

Just think: All this time, we’ve been lamenting Obama’s audaciously apparent lack of leadership, his enormous penchants for victimhood and abdication, and his impressively high-handed partisanship in speech after speech after speech, he has actually been ‘purposely keeping his rhetoric down.’ Who knew?