August 06, 2004

Presidential Immortality

A few weeks ago on ABC News Peter Jennings commented that Ronald Reagan's death was only a matter of time once he finished his second term as President. I think that what he meant was that because Reagan was so old when he became President we wouldn't expect him necessarily to live very long afterward. However, the way he put it, "once he finished his second term" suggests, at least to me, that there was no risk of his dying so long as he remained President. Of course, this isn't true: the clock doesn't stop for Presidents. As far as I can tell, nobody else has noticed this. I'm not sure if nobody cares or if for most people once has come to mean the same thing as after.

Posted by Bill Poser at August 6, 2004 02:21 PM