Equivocation

• A speaker or writer equivocates when he or she changes meanings during an argument in an effort to make the argument seem more compelling than it is.

• It's okay for President G.W. Bush to say "Bring it on" in response to challenges by Iraqi military leaders during the War with Iraq, but when Presidential Candidate Senator John Kerry says "Bring it on" in response to a debate over his and Bush's military records, President Bush's Press Secretary claims that John Kerry has become "angry", "unhinged." And"out of control."
  • "The war in Iraq was a response to the September 11 kamikaze attacks"--Rep. Henry Hyde (R) Illinois. Before Congress on September 9, 2004.

  • Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R) California: "I don't call it the war on terror, I call it the war on those people who started a war against us when they attacked on September 11..."

  • Rep. Eliot Engel (D) New York: "I rise in favor of the resolution...There may be people who disagree on a sentence or two but I believe we should all stick together on this.."