"Surge" = Newspeak

The Washington Post features an intriguing look at the derivation of the word "surge." Along with "the way forward," it is the newest catchphrase in the contemporary political lexicon.

According the article, "Surge" falls into "the Orwellian zone between language and politics," says Tom Rosenstiel, director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism, which studies and evaluates the media. "The president and his advisers would be remiss if they didn't come up with a term suited to their new policy. But journalists would be equally remiss if they just thoughtlessly repeated the term without pondering the policy and its implications."