Watch Your Mouth, Please

Funny thing about being President. Every time you talk, someone’s listening. With a notepad. And a video camera. And, usually, a business card with letters that read “CNN” or “NBC” or “Fox.”

All of this begs the question: was it wise for the President – when talking about the oil spill – to say: “We talk to these folks because they potentially had the best answers, so I know whose ass to kick.”

Regrettably, we live in a day and age where it’s OK for reality to bite, for life to suck, for references to body parts to be in the mainstream … and on a t-shirt you wear to the mall.

Consider this a vote for decorum. And of all people, President Obama, as wise and intelligent as they come, well, Mr. President, you of all people should know that certain words and phrases are unbecoming … especially when coming from the Oval Office.

Is the President tough? Yes indeed. Is the President showing that he’s a man of action? It would seem so. Is he angry? He's clearly not in the best of moods. But does he need to use street rhetoric to make his point?

Hardly.

If he had said, “Trust me, the taxpayer is not going to get left holding the bag on this one,” that quote would have been on the front page just the same. Why resort to words that are unbecoming for a man in his position? Say what you will, but the Queen of England has the right idea on this one. Her language is elevated, and so is she.

And now that I think about it, so was the language of Abraham Lincoln, FDR and Dr. King.

Is there anything wrong with stubbing your toe and letting loose with a word that you wouldn’t use in front of Grandma? I think so.

But if you’re sitting down with a reporter, in front of a camera, that’s no place to say I’m-a-tough-guy-because-I-can-say-things-like-kick-some-ass. Especially if you're the leader of the free world.

This is a lesson for the White House, for your house, for the boardroom and for the school room. A little class goes a long way. Be remembered for your eloquence. It’s a better choice.