Noonan's use of "dog whistle" is especially neuralgic for Walsh because it is a pet phrase of many on the left, including Walsh herself.

WSJ: Best of the Web Today: The Dog Whistler

He said the prime minister had voted against an in-out referendum in a parliamentary vote in 2011 but had been "dragged" towards a scenario in which such a scenario could happen by a "neuralgic" Conservative Party.

BBC: UK Politics

By concentrating on areas where considerable progress is possible (rather than on such neuralgic issues as drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge or increased CAFE fuel-efficiency standards), America - and in particular its gas-guzzling transportation sector - could be made significantly less reliant on oil supplied by unstable or hostile regimes.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Securing America's energy needs