Every once and then we get so used to a given saying or tradition that we forget what they were supposed to mean in the first place. This is apparently the case of a political TV ad I saw this morning. It's run by Tom Kean Jr., state senator in New Jersey. He talks for long on why his opponent is totally bad and how himself (Tom Kean) is totally good. Then Mr. Kean ends his message with the canonical formula "I'm Tom Kean and I approve this message.". Is there any reason Mr. Kean thinks that a message in his own words and entirely presented by himself still needs his approval?