Presidents Say the Darnedest Things

Just when you think things can’t get any weirder, the White House has announced, per Reuters, that President Bush would like to see a US military presence in Iraq modeled on the one in South Korea. Take it away, Tony Snow:

“The Korean model is one in which the United States provides a security presence, but you’ve had the development of a successful democracy in South Korea over a period of years, and, therefore, the United States is there as a force of stability.”

Readers may object that the US military has maintaned a robust presence on the Korean peninsula for half a century, and worry that such a position may not be tenable in Iraq. Not to worry, says the White House, since these bases won’t be permanent. Tony?

Snow said U.S. bases in Iraq would not necessarily be permanent because they would be there at the invitation of the host government and “the person who has done the invitation has the right to withdraw the invitation.”

As I recall, “permanence” relates to a thing or process’s enduring nature through time, not the volition of any agents contributing to its existence. Reality and The Onion creep ever closer together.