Stealing a concept from my friend Ed Brayton, the following is a quote from George Orwell which I recently ran across and thought was brilliant:

Political language—and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists—is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind. – George Orwell

This is from Orwell’s essay: Politics and the English Language (1946), do give it a read.

[Hat tip to Jerry Coyne for the reading suggestion.]