In an article about the Obama-Clinton delegate duel, in today's New York Times:
"We don’t think our lead will drop below 100 delegates,” David Plouffe, Mr. Obama’s campaign manager, said in an interview. “The math is the math.”
Once and for all: Can people stop saying stupid things like that? (Or, at a minimum, can newspapers stop printing them?) Is it just me, or has this construction -- along with such brilliant turns as "It is what it is" -- suddenly become acceptable as worthwhile analysis of any given situation? Does anyone else think this is the laziest possible way to make a point? Does anyone else realize it doesn't actually mean anything?
I guess it's a useful rhetorical tool -- it's kind of hard to argue with someone who puts forth that "the math" is, in fact, "the math." But I think we need a new rule. If any sentence you're speaking begins and ends with the same two-word phrase, separated by another singular word, you should just shut up.
Sorry, you can't disagree with me. I write what I write.
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