quagmirist (1994), quagmirism (2003)

[Benjamin Zimmer]

"Quagmirism" appears in the latest Christopher Hitchens column on Slate
<http://slate.msn.com/id/2121996/>.  "Quagmirist" goes back to 1994 in
Bill Safire's columns, but "quagmirism" was apparently launched into the
blogosphere in 2003...


* quagmirist

1994 W. SAFIRE in _N.Y. Times_ 21 Feb. A17/6 (Nexis) The quagmirists --
Larry Eagleburger, Dick Cheney, Pat Buchanan, and their amen cornerbacks
-- appear now to be wrong in their fears of interminable involvement of
U.S. ground troops [in Bosnia].


* quagmirism

2003 _The Agonist_ 24 Mar. (blog comment) Chaunce, you think quagmirism is
a numbers game?
<http://scoop.agonist.org/archives/000829.html>

2003 _Brothers Judd_ 30 Mar. (blog entry) More quagmirism.
<http://www.brothersjudd.com/blog/archives/004910.html>

2003 _Brothers Judd_ 5 May (blog entry) Pragmatism, not quagmirism.
<http://www.brothersjudd.com/blog/archives/005571.html>

2003 _Rantburg_ 14 May (blog comment) That means Uncle Sam has to get
involved...without the US to provide topcover, the cheese eaters might get
accused of...shudder...quagmirism!
<http://rantburg.com/popArticle.asp?ID=14247>

2003 _'Nother Solent_ 25 June (blog entry) One could despise Dawkins'
Chomsky-lite quagmirism and admire other aspects of his work.
<http://transfinitum.net/nataliesolent/archives/week_2003_06_22.html>

2003 _Kausfiles_ 20 Aug. (blog entry) I try to resist charging that
skeptical reports about the war reflect impatient, biased "quagmirism."
<http://slate.msn.com/id/2087154/>

2003 _Washington Times_ 5 Dec. A10 (Factiva) I am sick and tired of the
superficial nature of their reporting on Iraq and their incessant
preaching of quagmirism.
[quoting: <http://instapundit.com/archives/012856.php>]


--Ben Zimmer