Remember last November when Bush and Maliki signed a non-binding “Declaration of Principles for a Long-Term Relationship” that committed America to defending Iraq?

After Democrats Barbara Lee, William Delahunt, Rosa DeLauro, Jim Webb, and others raised holy hell about the unconstitutionality of "virtual treaty," the White House tried to walk back its words. And now they're anonymously telling their embedded propagandists at Politico.com:

the original Arabic phrase was “translated in kind of an interesting way,” and that a better translation might have been, “We’ll consult.”

Um, then why didn't they translate it that way the first time?

So now I have a question for the lawyers: when an international agreement is written in two languages (in this case English and Arabic), which one is authoritative? And can either version be "retranslated" at will by either party to mean something entirely different from what everyone thought it meant when it was signed?

Bush has gone way to the other side of the Looking Glass.

'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone,' it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less.'

'The question is,' said Alice, 'whether you can make words mean so many different things.'

'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master - that's all.'

Alice was too much puzzled to say anything; so after a minute Humpty Dumpty began again. 'They've a temper, some of them - particularly verbs: they're the proudest - adjectives you can do anything with, but not verbs - however, I can manage the whole lot of them! Impenetrability! That's what I say!'

'Would you tell me, please,' said Alice, 'what that means?'

'Now you talk like a reasonable child,' said Humpty Dumpty, looking very much pleased. 'I meant by "impenetrability" that we've had enough of that subject, and it would be just as well if you'd mention what you mean to do next, as I suppose you don't mean to stop here all the rest of your life.'

'That's a great deal to make one word mean,' Alice said in a thoughtful tone.

'When I make a word do a lot of work like that,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'I always pay it extra.'

Obviously Bush's words on Iraq are owned by Halliburton, and Bush is paying "extra" for them.