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

http://conservativedigest.wordpress.com/ ^ | 10/28/2009 | Conservative Digest

[Conservative Digest]

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

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.

So why the sudden and over use of “let me be clear”?

[NEMDF]

He actually DID use the phrase frequently during the campaign. Not sure what the point is.

[thethirddegree]

Another rhetorical crutch—like ‘clearly’ was a few years ago.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

“For too long....”

“No longer can we...”

[numberonepal]

When he says “let me be perfectly clear”, that means he’s about to tell a whopper.

[Hawk1976]

As nearly as I can discern, “Let me be clear” translates directly to, “I am about to tell a massive lie.”

[wombtotomb]

cropping up almost as much as ummmm....uuhhhhh....ooohhh....uuuuaaahhh..... and unexpectedly

DRINK!

[Hawk1976]

I swear I didn’t see your post first!

[AmericanVictory]

Another Nixon echo.

[massgopguy]

It was Nixon’s favorite.

[massgopguy]

It was Nixon’s favorite.

[Venturer]

It’s a precursor to a lie.

[paulycy]

As nearly as I can discern, “Let me be clear” translates directly to, “I am about to tell a massive lie.”

As nearly as I can discern, “Let me be clear” translates directly to, “I am about to tell a massive lie which directly contradicts something I've said previously."

There. I've revised and extended your remarks for you.

[al_c]

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

Yep. Now everyone will be using it. Just like Bush's "make no mistake" and Clinton's closed fist pointing-with-the-thumb thing (see below) that everyone picked up on during his terms.

[old curmudgeon]

When he says “let me be perfectly clear”, that means he’s about to tell a whopper.

EXACTLY.

We all know the pathological liar who starts his whoppers with “Trust me” or “I wouldn’t lie to you” or “ I swear on.....”

“Let me be perfectly clear” is exactly the same thing.

[pnh102]

YOU LIE!

[numberonepal]

Like minds.

[SampleMan]

“let me be clear.”

Newspeak translation, "Hang on, because I'm about to lie my ass off."

[nj patriot]

I have noticed a speech pattern in O and wonder if any one else has noticed it. When O is telling a big lie his cheeks blow up while he is speaking. The same thing does not happen when he is merely conversing.

Any thoughts?

[brytlea]

He’s channeling Nixon?

[DainBramage]

he also often starts answer to a question with "As Ive said many times...(enter lie here)"

Of course he hasnt these things many times but is lying his ass off.

[Girlene]

I think the analysis at the end of the article has it right: "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,..” ..............

obama uses this same approach in his constant moral relativism logic. He wants to sound strong, before he makes a statement that promotes what he really thinks.

[antisocial]

We ought to get the guy from Fox’s series “Lie to me” to give his opinion of Obamamao’s truthfulness :>)

[Fresh Wind]

“let me be perfectly clear, with great specificity”

[BlueLancer]

... and I am unanimous in that ...

[PackerBoy]

I think Nixon said, "Let me be perfectly clear."

[HighlyOpinionated]

“Let me be clear” can be interpreted as “I am about to give you a huge-gi-nourmous LIE and am using the hypnotic phrase ‘let me be clear’ to infiltrate your mind with this lie.”

[Cyber Liberty]

Has “Let me be clear...” overtaken “I have always said...” yet?