Uh...

If like me you think the term "quagmire" is too frequently used to describe foreign affairs debacles (specifically Iraq as of late), you might be intrigued to learn that being metaphorically mired in a quagmire in another country is nothing like being literally mired in a real quagmire here in Dallas County:

Sgt. Don Peritz said deputies stopped the man in his vehicle for having an outdated registration sticker. He said the man fled into a nearby field after deputies learned he had falsely identified himself.

According to Peritz, deputies searched for about an hour before they found the man sunk up to his waist in a quagmire. They tried repeatedly over several hours to pull him out, but they were forced to call for help after they also began sinking into the cold mud. The man eventually died before he could be removed.

I must admit I didn't even know a qaugmire was something beyond a jacked up country you can't get out of. So the next time you're tempted to use the abused metaphor, think of this poor fella expiring in muck up to his waist and consider if in fact that's what you really mean.