Let me be perfectly clear. I’m not a ….

Let me be clear.

Many have noticed the President’s over use of a certain phrase, “let me be clear.”

‘Let me be clear’ President Obama overuses the phrase

President Obama’s Favorite Words: ‘Let Me Be Clear’

Dissecting President Obama’s favorite phrase

His use of the phrase sometimes emphasizes serious issues:

“Let me be clear: Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile activity poses a real threat, not just to the United States, but to Iran’s neighbors and our allies.”

“Now let me be clear: We are indeed at war with al Qaeda and its affiliates.”

Sometimes the phrase is used for less than serious issues:

“Now, let me be clear, I don’t have anything against dog parks.”

But, as pointed out in an earlier post, the phrase may be code for a lie:

“Let me be clear: The United States government has no interest in running GM.”

“Let me be clear: If you like your doctor or health care provider, you can keep them.”

Taken in context of his behavior, sometimes the phrase is simply an absurdity:

“Let me be clear: I will let no one question my love of this country. I love America, so do you, and so does John McCain.”

“Let me be clear: Success should be judged by results, and data is a powerful tool to determine results.”

It could, however, signal a secret intent:

“Now let me be clear: America will not seek to impose any system of government on any other country, … America will never impose a security arrangement on another country.”

“Let me be clear: America wants a strong, peaceful, and prosperous Russia.”

What is really interesting is the fact that Obama rarely used this phrase prior to becoming president.

A fairly extensive survey of 100 of the Best Speeches of Barack Obama from 2002 through to his Inauguration in 2009 and the official website Organizing for America: Obama Speeches found very little use of the phrase before this year. The times he did use the phrase subsequent to 2009 proves instructive.

“Now let me be clear. We have real enemies in the world. These enemies must be found. They must be pursued and they must be defeated. John Kerry knows this.” (Keynote Address 2004 Democratic National Convention)

However, instead of focusing on the phrase,  we perhaps should focus on what follows next.  Just look for the conjunction.

“Now let me be clear: I suffer no illusions about Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal man. A ruthless man. A man who butchers his own people to secure his own power…. The world, and the Iraqi people, would be better off without him. But I also know that Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States,..” (2002 Speech against Iraq War)

“Now, let me be clear – for those who plot terror against the United States, I hope God has mercy on their soul, because I certainly do not. And for those who our government suspects of terror, I support whatever tools are necessary to try them and uncover their plot. But we also know that some have been detained who have no connection to terror whatsoever.” (Military Commission Legislation Statement 2006)

So why the sudden and over use of “let me be clear”?  Here’s our list of possible explanations.

1. He has someone writing his speeches now that favors the phrase.

2. The teleprompter mysteriously adds these declarative statements without his knowledge.

3. The statements are an attempt to add a sense of certainty where none really exists.

Let them be clear

Considering his relativistic worldview and lack of any real world experience we pick number three. Either way it is eerily similar to the phrase used by the very thinned skinned and politically corrupt Richard Nixon “let me be perfectly clear.”

Assignment: help us create a list of all the Obama “let me be clear” statements. Let’s see if we can detect a pattern. Send them to ConDigest@yahoo.com or add them to the comment section of this post.