She is asserting it as a definitive fact.
He asserted it as fact, and then reasserted it, and then insisted that forthcoming evidence would prove him right.
After all, Ken Clarke asserted it as "the hallmark of a civilised society" even as he implemented his cuts package.
The big difference was that Clinton asserted it as American power was waxing, Bush as it crested, and Obama as it, er, de-crested.
Individualism was one of '90s Cool's primary manifestations, and saying things like "I'm just me" was widespread among cool kids of the day, but I suspect no kids were asserting it quite as desperately as the gay kids were.
"So I can imagine a scenario where we have a third party verify that our system works the way we assert it does," much as an auditor reviews a company's financial reporting.
"We'll make our point very plain and assert it very strongly, as we always do," said the mining association's Popovich.
As for the style of the oratory, Times columnist Lee Shippey commented in 1935 that it seems "when you know a thing, you may merely speak it, but when you are rather doubtful, you must assert it so loudly as to overwhelm all opposition". After World War II, the oratory grew more heated in both locations as communism -- and anti-communism -- became issues.
This postulate cannot be proved true, of course, but human communities can assert it and act upon it as if it were true.
