This is like an assembly language or machine code program that does two different things depending on the alignment with which you jump into it.

Great article.

Also take a look at the article specifically about the speech : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If-by-whiskey . The op's link is to the speech's author.

I'm on a whiskey diet, I've lost three days already. - Tommy Cooper

Alcohol does nothing at all if you 'look' at it--- to achieve excess or moderation (shudder) you have to 'drink' it...

I think the summary is: Persuasively written speech can let you curry favor with both sides of a debate without having to take a real position.