Too bad that, in the fullness of time, perfectly good rhetoric comes to be overtaken by events.

Nevermore will we hear the ringing phrase “Wait till all the troops are in place at least, damn you!” when the administration’s duly authorized speaking orifices talk about that long-term surge that is not an escalation.

(Note to loyal readers: I’m the the market for a good collective noun to refer to a collection of Administration-Authorized Speaking Orifices. Till one turns up, let’s go with AASOs. No pronunciation guide will be provided.)

Bush has made the mistake of putting it baldly in words that even Tony Snow will not be able to wring an alternate meaning from:

The final troops have just arrived.

(Of course, I could just be misunderestimating Tony Snow. God knows I’ve done it before.)

Do stay tuned to find out what will replace “Wait till all the troops are in place at least, damn you!”