Bush Claims He Has Never Had a Policy of Stay the Course in Iraq

So Then What Exactly Did He Mean All Those Times He Used that Phrase?

On October 22, 2006 the President of the United States, George Walker Bush, was interviewed on ABC by George Stephan-whatever. This took place right around the time that the Bush administration decided that in order to stem a full-scale loss at the polls this November they had to start lying about their plans for Iraq. That is, lying about HAVING a plan for Iraq. You know, this was when Karl Rove made the decision that the Bush White House would no longer continue to use the words “stay the course” in regard to Iraq, though they would still continue to pursue the plan to stay the course. George S. asked George W. about James Baker’s non-White House approved plan to develop a strategy that was somewhere between cut and run and stay the course. At this point Pres. Bush made a rather odd statement: “We’ve never been stay the course, George.”

Yes, you read that right. Pres. Bush went on national television and said, “We’ve never been stay the course, George.”


December 2003: At a White House press conference Pres. Bush responded to question thusly: “We will stay the course until the job is done, Steve.”

July 2003: At a press conference in Botswana, Pres. Bush said: "A free Iraq will mean a peaceful world. And it's very important for us to stay the course, and we will stay the course."

April 2004: During a nationally televised address, Pres. Bush said: “And, yet, we must stay the course, because the end result is in our nation's interest.”

November 2005: Pres. Bush gives a speech at the Naval Academy at Annapolis: “Some critics continue to assert that we have no plan in Iraq except to, "stay the course." If by "stay the course," they mean we will not allow the terrorists to break our will, they are right. If by "stay the course," they mean we will not permit al Qaeda to turn Iraq into what Afghanistan was under the Taliban - a safe haven for terrorism and a launching pad for attacks on America - they are right, as well.”