Warning: President Obama Wants to Kick Some Tail!

President Obama is angry. No, really. This time he means it. He is really, really angry and he wants to know whose “ass to kick.” For a man known for his eloquent use of words, this level of slang seems almost humorous. Under intense criticism for his perceived failure to respond to the crisis in the Gulf of Mexico, President Obama has resorted to the use of slang, or profanity, depending on your point of view.

Thomas E. Cronin, a political scientist at Colorado College and co-author of a book "The Paradoxes of the American Presidency" that examines how difficult it is for presidents to live up to expectations, made the following comment regarding President Obama’s choice of words.

"We want the president to be like us but to be better than us. So we hold the president to a higher standard," said Cronin.

It is the same rationale used in many professions that encourage what has been coined, “The Professional Use of Language.” Proponents of the Professional Use of Language argue just what Thomas E. Cronin articulated. We hold people in certain professions to a higher standard. We want them to be like us, only better. Opponents of the Professional Use of Language argue that sometimes slang or profanity is permissible and even necessary.

George Thompson, Ph.d, created a course, originally designed for the street cop called Verbal Judo, or Tactical Communication. Dr. Thompson was of the opinion that when faced with conflict, the problem officer often would express his/her feelings through the use of street language or personal language. Personal language involved profanity, calling people names, making fun of people, etc.

Conversely, the officer who viewed himself as a professional would use professional language in conflict. The professional officer would not resort to the use of profanity or inappropriate language. By the use of professional language, the officer would appear to be in control when he/she was least expected to be in control and that, Dr. Thompson said, is real power.

The concept was not without controversy. Some officers felt the use of street language (profanity) was sometimes necessary in order for the recipient to take the officer seriously or to take control of a situation. Dr. Thompson countered that if someone was not taking the officer seriously, then part of the problem was the officer’s delivery style. The use of profanity or street language would be viewed as an officer out of control or a street thug and certainly not a professional.

Expanding on what Thomas Cronin said, there are certain professions where a professional delivery style and language are expected. In a court of law, you would never hear the prosecuting attorney refer to the defendant in a descriptive phrase that pairs President Obama’s word of choice with a hole. The captain of an aircraft would never get on the intercom and yell, “Oh my gawd! Birds have been sucked into the ***** engine and we are all going to ***** die!” Indeed, you probably would never hear your physician tell you that you must lose weight because you had a fat, well, you get the picture. We do hold certain people to a higher standard and the president of the United States is one of those people.

It would appear BP CEO Tony Hayward implemented the use of tame, but personal language to express his feelings. President Obama was quick to criticize Mr. Hayward for saying, "I want my life back," and the Gulf is "a big ocean" so "the environmental impact of this disaster is likely to be very, very modest."

"He wouldn't be working for me after any of those statements," Obama said.

Really? Isn’t this the same president who didn’t have a problem defending a supposed man of the cloth for saying, “Goddam America!” Is that the type of language you would expect from your priest, rabbi, or minister at a Sunday sermon? Of course not, because we hold them to a higher standard.

So, what do we make of the president’s “tough” language? Was his language professional language or the language of a man out of control and trying to get the recipients to take him seriously. He is mad, don’t you know. He is so mad that he has to use the “A” word so we know how mad he really is.

As for me, I believe it is all show. Oh, he is mad, no doubt. He is mad that people are blaming him for everything under the sun. He is mad because he cannot control everything under the sun. Perhaps he is mad at that pesky little dog named Toto pulling on the curtain. Careful, Toto. The president might kick your ass.