Words are funny. Strung together, they can have multiple meanings depending on the perceived context and reader's viewpoint. I can make a statement with the intent to convey argument A, but the reader interprets my statement as not-A.

An example: Trotsky, in "What Next? Vital Question for the German Proletariat" (published as "How Mussolini Triumphed," in Fascism: What it is and how to fight it, 1944), disparaged the Italian socialist, Turati, for saying, regarding the political battle with Mussolini's fascist movement, "One must have manhood to be a coward."

Given the context, it appears Turati spoke with a sense of irony, defending his political strategy. Trotsky subjected those same words to close reading in order to bolster his argument that the Italian socialist was retreating before the fascists. Turati claimed he had manhood, while Trotsky insinuated Turati was a coward.

Forgetting the internecine war among socialists, let's examine Turati's prescient claim in another context: the draft.