Sorry... just had to get that off my chest. FJB and his crew have so many ways of irritating the shit out of me.
I am tempted to think it is some sort of comms at this point. EPA guy used it in OH just now... out of an abundance of caution, stay out of the streams, or something like that.
Anyway, dumbest phrase... evah
It's a way of saying "this could be a real disaster" without admitting it. They are trying to create the impression that only because they care so much, they will be super cautious and do something even though things are perfectly fine, nothing to see here, cough cough.
I first remember it from Hillary. Maybe it was in the 90's when she was running the Clinton Care parade.