[SmellyGeekBoy]

OT, but when a statement begins "let me get this straight" you just know that an uncharitable interpretation of events will immediately follow. Is there a name for this phenomenon?

[johnday]

I think it's just a variant on the all-time classic, "I'm not a racist, but...".

People try to pre-empt the obvious response (in this case, "you are being uncharitable") with a basic retort ("I'm just trying to get this straight")