Let’s be clear about ‘let me be clear’

Politico.com has a solid analysis of the linguistic meaning and the rhetorical purpose of President Obama’s pet phrase, “Let me be clear.” (You can hear him saying it, can’t you?!)

Author Andie Coller’s conclusion: “When taken together, the statements that have followed [the president’s repeated uses of ‘let me be clear’] read like the Cliff’s Notes to the first six months of the administration, with the president carefully staking out positions both foreign and domestic with an eye toward controlling the message and bringing along the skeptics in the crowd.”

Speechwriters, what’s your take?