Quote: "Conservation may be a sign of personal virtue, but it cannot be the basis of a sound energy policy." Vice President Dick Cheney, 2001, quoted in The New York Times
Figure of Speech: synchoresis (sin cho REE sis), conceding a point to make a stronger one
Cheney makes good use of a synchoresis -- the rhetorical equivalent of sacrificing a pawn. A really great synchoresis manages to belittle an opponent's point while seeming to concede it. Even "virtue" sounds wimpy and un-American when Dick Cheney says it.
Snappy Answer: "We sure wouldn't want to base our energy policy on your personal virtue, would we, Mr. Vice President?"