equivocate – v - To use ambiguous or unclear expressions, usually to avoid commitment or in order to mislead; prevaricate or hedge.
This is the essence of modern political speech. A prime example would be John Kerry's answer to a question on abortion during the 2004 sound-bite-exchange. He claimed that as a Roman Catholic he disapproved, but he didn't feel he could impose his personal morality on others. Even forgetting the fact that many if not most laws impose morality on others, his answer was laughable. Here's a man who claims to be a Catholic, but who divorced his first wife, lived with his current wife before marrying her, and, when he did finally get around to that technicality, married her in a civil ceremony. Need I mention that every one of those acts violated Catholic teachings? In the eyes of the church he's not married; he also has at least three sins to confess if he ever finds it convenient to indulge in the sacrament of Penance. More than incidentally, if he receives Communion without Penance, he can add another mortal sin to the list. At least he was capable of putting together a coherent English sentence.
