Is there a budding Qim al Jong?

Reuters

President George W. Bush would like to see a lengthy U.S. troop presence in Iraq like the one in South Korea to provide stability but not in a frontline combat role, the White House said on Wednesday.

The United States has had thousands of U.S. troops in South Korea to guard against a North Korean invasion for 50 years.

And if the North Koreans actually do invade the south, all those U.S. soldiers will likely die, too. They're a tripwire. Probably won't happen.

One difference is that South Korea has a huge well-trained and motivated Army and Marine Corps. They're tougher'n nails, too. I sure wouldn't fuck with 'em.

Another difference is that South Korea and North Korea are individual countries with an actual geographical dividing line.

There's not going to be a DMZ to separate warring factions in Iraq. If you can see how to do that, please tell me. 50 DMZs? 100? Iraq is not really a country, but a primordial soup of hundreds of tribal, religious, ethnic, and political divisions and loyalties and its citizens inhabitants are all mixed together with no common goals except for one group to prevail over the next, with millions of reg'lar folks caught in between. Iraq's 'border' is a boxing ring that isn't doing a very good job of containing the free-for-all.

I am heartened by the thought that that perhaps Bush doesn't want us to stay in Iraq forever. Just for the rest of my lifetime and most of yours, or until all the oil is pumped out.