Stay the course

Last updated

"Stay the course" is a phrase used in the context of a war or battle meaning to pursue a goal regardless of any obstacles or criticism. The modern usage of this term was popularized by United States presidents George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, [1] and Ronald Reagan.

Contents

Origins

Similar to "cut and run", a pejorative phrase used to describe cowardly withdrawal from battle, "stay the course" allegedly originated as a nautical metaphor on maintaining a constant, unaltering course while navigating. For instance, in a 2003 column, William Safire asked his readers what they knew of its origins, saying it "appears to be rooted in a nautical metaphor." In this context 'stay' refers to the ropes or guys and sheets that hold the 'course' (mainsail) in a fixed position appropriate to the heading. [2]

Citations from the late 19th century, however, show the phrase describing horses having the stamina to remain on the course of a racetrack. [3] [4] Safire found the same, writing that the earliest such use found was for an 1873 rowing competition. [5] Safire's correspondent, lexicographer Benjamin Zimmer, pointed out that before that, "citations for 'stay the course' invariably have the countervailing sense of 'to stop or check the course (of something).'" Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe used it in that sense in The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus in 1588. [5]

In American politics

The phrase has had fitful use in American politics. It was used by several figures during the Vietnam War, including Gen. William Westmoreland, who wrote in his 1976 autobiography A Soldier Reports that "a lack of determination to stay the course...demonstrated in Cambodia, South Vietnam, and Laos that the alternative to victory was defeat." [6] It had been invoked during wartime by President Lyndon Johnson in a 1967 speech [7] and by Johnson's Undersecretary of the Air Force Townsend Hoopes. [6]

The phrase gained a central place in rhetoric due to the publication by journalist Stewart Alsop in his 1973 memoirs of a conversation with Winston Churchill. Alsop related that the British Prime Minister had pondered at the close of World War II, "America, it is a great and strong country, like a workhorse pulling the rest of the world out of despond and despair. But will it stay the course?" [6] The anecdote became a favorite of Democratic hawk Sen. Henry Jackson, [6] and was retold by Secretary of Defense William Cohen more than once during his tenure. [8]

Ronald Reagan

"Stay the course" was later popularized by Ronald Reagan while campaigning for Republicans during the 1982 mid-term elections, arguing against changes in his economic policies. According to The Washington Post , Reagan used the "stay the course" phrase while on a ten-day political campaign through fourteen states, [9] and it was included in his 1982 budget message, [10] where he sought to allay fears that his policies were causing a recession. [11] He continued using it as a slogan through the November election. [12]

George H. W. Bush

His vice president, George H. W. Bush, would later pick up the phrase as an argument for his election as President, both during the primaries and general campaign. [13] His frequent use of the phrase was parodied in a Saturday Night Live [14] sketch.

Bill Clinton

The phrase was used by Bill Clinton speaking at Bucharest’s University Square [15] in July 1997 while in Bucharest, Romania. President Clinton announced the Strategic Partnership between the United States and Romania [16] during a historic visit to Romania in 1997.

George W. Bush

The phrase was used by George W. Bush in July 2003 while in Gaborone, Botswana, after a meeting with President Festus Gontebanye Mogae to discuss the War on Terrorism. [17] Bush, along with Vice President Dick Cheney and White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, continually used the term afterwards to describe the Iraq War, stressing that the freedoms of the Iraqi people were at stake and that al-Qaeda would "use Iraq as an example of defeating freedom and democracy" if the United States were to withdraw. [18]

However, the phrase was eventually dropped by Bush two weeks before the 2006 U.S. midterm elections, [19] due to continual pressure to change his Iraq War strategy. Tony Snow has stated that this only meant that the United States needed to adjust its strategy in Iraq, and that it was not a sign of any major changes in policy. On the other hand, in an interview with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News's This Week , Bush stated that "we've never been stay the course", in response to a question asking him about his thoughts on James Baker’s comments that the strategy in Iraq should be "between 'stay the course' and 'cut and run'." [20]

The phrase has been repeatedly parodied by political cartoonists, [21] ranging from animator Mark Fiore [22] to Chip Bok of the Akron Beacon Journal . It has also been parodied by numerous television shows, such as The Colbert Report [23] and Saturday Night Live . [24] The phrase was also used in Pixar's movie WALL-E (2008) in a message to Axiom from the CEO of Earth, John Connor in Terminator: Salvation has the line, "If we stay the course we are dead, all dead!", [25] and is a recurring phrase in the 2000 film The Patriot (2000). In music, Epica's song "Stay The Course" (from Requiem for the Indifferent ) is a criticism of this policy and of the popular culture surrounding its use.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George H. W. Bush</span> President of the United States from 1989 to 1993

George Herbert Walker Bush was an American politician, diplomat, and businessman who served as the 41st president of the United States from 1989 to 1993. A member of the Republican Party, he also served as the 43rd vice president from 1981 to 1989 under Ronald Reagan and previously in various other federal positions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bush Doctrine</span> Foreign policy principles of US President George W. Bush

The Bush Doctrine refers to multiple interrelated foreign policy principles of the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush. These principles include unilateralism, preemptive war, and regime change.

The Clinton Doctrine is not an official government statement but an interpretation made by experts of the main priorities in the foreign policy of the Bill Clinton administration in the United States, 1993–2001.

The Project for the New American Century (PNAC) was a neoconservative think tank based in Washington, D.C., that focused on United States foreign policy. It was established as a non-profit educational organization in 1997, and founded by William Kristol and Robert Kagan. PNAC's stated goal was "to promote American global leadership". The organization stated that "American leadership is good both for America and for the world", and sought to build support for "a Reaganite policy of military strength and moral clarity".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Kristol</span> American political writer (born 1952)

William Kristol is an American neoconservative writer. A frequent commentator on several networks including CNN, he was the founder and editor-at-large of the political magazine The Weekly Standard. Kristol is now editor-at-large of the center-right publication The Bulwark and has been the host of Conversations with Bill Kristol, an interview web program, since 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Baker</span> American lawyer and statesman (born 1930)

James Addison Baker III is an American attorney, diplomat and statesman. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 10th White House Chief of Staff and 67th United States Secretary of the Treasury under President Ronald Reagan and the 61st U.S. Secretary of State before returning as the 16th White House Chief of Staff under President George H. W. Bush.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Safire</span> American journalist and presidential speechwriter (1929–2009)

William Lewis Safire was an American author, columnist, journalist, and presidential speechwriter. He was a long-time syndicated political columnist for The New York Times and wrote the "On Language" column in The New York Times Magazine about popular etymology, new or unusual usages, and other language-related topics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elliott Abrams</span> American politician and lawyer

Elliott Abrams is an American politician and lawyer, who has served in foreign policy positions for presidents Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump. Abrams is considered to be a neoconservative. He is currently a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. He served as the U.S. Special Representative for Venezuela from 2019 to 2021 and as the U.S. Special Representative for Iran from 2020 to 2021.

A United States presidential doctrine comprises the key goals, attitudes, or stances for United States foreign affairs outlined by a president. Most presidential doctrines are related to the Cold War. Though many U.S. presidents had themes related to their handling of foreign policy, the term doctrine generally applies to presidents such as James Monroe, Harry S. Truman, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, all of whom had doctrines which more completely characterized their foreign policy.

A "flip-flop", U-turn, or backflip is a derogatory term for a sudden real or apparent change of policy or opinion by a public official, sometimes while trying to claim that the two positions are consistent with each other. It carries connotations of pandering and hypocrisy. Often, flip-flops occur during the period prior to or following an election in order to maximize the candidate's popularity.

Democrat Party is an epithet and pejorative for the Democratic Party of the United States, often used in a disparaging fashion by the party's opponents. While use of the term started out as non-hostile, it has grown in its negative use since the 1940s, in particular by members of the Republican Party—in party platforms, partisan speeches, and press releases—as well as by conservative commentators and third party politicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Historical rankings of presidents of the United States</span>

In political studies, surveys have been conducted in order to construct historical rankings of the success of the presidents of the United States. Ranking systems are usually based on surveys of academic historians and political scientists or popular opinion. The scholarly rankings focus on presidential achievements, leadership qualities, failures, and faults. Popular-opinion polls typically focus on recent or well-known presidents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speechwriter</span> Person who writes speeches that will be delivered by another person

A speechwriter is a person who is hired to prepare and write speeches that will be delivered by another person. Speechwriters are employed by many senior-level elected officials and executives in the government and private sectors. They can also be employed to write for weddings and other social occasions.

Cut and run or cut-and-run is an idiomatic verb phrase meaning to "make off promptly" or to "hurry off". The phrase was in use by the 1700s to describe an act allowing a ship to make sail quickly in an urgent situation, by cutting free an anchor. Though initially referring to a literal act, the phrase was used figuratively by the mid-1800s in both the United States and England. The phrase is used pejoratively in political language, implying a panicked and cowardly retreat, and it has been used by politicians as a criticism of calls to withdraw troops from various armed conflicts, becoming particularly associated with the Iraq War and with the diction of the United States Republican Party. It has also been used in other contexts, such as in World War II military slang and to refer to a container shipping practice.

The Judson Welliver Society is a bipartisan social club composed exclusively of former presidential speechwriters in the United States. The group is named after Judson C. Welliver, the "literary clerk" to President Warren Harding, usually credited as being the first presidential speechwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iraq War troop surge of 2007</span> Increase in US soldiers stationed in Iraq

The Iraq War troop surge of 2007, commonly known as the troop surge, or simply the surge, refers to the George W. Bush administration's 2007 increase in the number of U.S. military combat troops in Iraq in order to provide security to Baghdad and Al Anbar Governorate.

"Mistakes were made" is an expression that is commonly used as a rhetorical device, whereby a speaker acknowledges that a situation was handled poorly or inappropriately but seeks to evade any direct admission or accusation of responsibility by not specifying the person who made the mistakes, nor any specific act that was a mistake. The acknowledgement of "mistakes" is framed in an abstract sense, with no direct reference to who made the mistakes, or the nature and extent of the mistakes. A less evasive construction might be along the lines of "I made mistakes" or "John Doe made mistakes"; a similar active existential construction might be "mistakes happened". The speaker neither accepts personal responsibility nor accuses anyone else. The word "mistakes" also does not imply intent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reagan era</span> Period in the history of the United States, 1981–1991

The Reagan era or the Age of Reagan is a periodization of recent American history used by historians and political observers to emphasize that the conservative "Reagan Revolution" led by President Ronald Reagan in domestic and foreign policy had a lasting impact. It overlaps with what political scientists call the Sixth Party System. Definitions of the Reagan era universally include the 1980s, while more extensive definitions may also include the late 1970s, the 1990s, and even the 2000s. In his 2008 book, The Age of Reagan: A History, 1974–2008, historian and journalist Sean Wilentz argues that Reagan dominated this stretch of American history in the same way that Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Deal legacy dominated the four decades that preceded it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicken Kiev speech</span> 1991 speech by U.S. president George H. W. Bush

The Chicken Kiev speech is the nickname for a speech given by the United States president George H. W. Bush in Kyiv, Ukraine, on August 1, 1991, three weeks before the Declaration of Independence of Ukraine and four months before the December independence referendum in which 92.26% of Ukrainians voted to withdraw from the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union collapsed 145 days after the speech, partially pushed by Ukraine. The address, in which Bush cautioned against "suicidal nationalism", was written by Condoleezza Rice—later Secretary of State under President George W. Bush—when she was in charge of Soviet and Eastern European affairs for the first President Bush. It outraged Ukrainian nationalists and American conservatives, with the conservative New York Times columnist William Safire calling it the "Chicken Kiev speech", named after a dish of stuffed chicken breast, in protest at what he saw as its "colossal misjudgment", weak tone and miscalculation.

References

  1. ↑ Gerald M. Boyd (1988-11-08). "Bush, Relaxed and Upbeat, Heads Home for Finale". The New York Times.
  2. ↑ William Safire (December 14, 2003). "'Exit strategy': a useful phrase when thinking is uncomfortable". The New York Times News Service. Retrieved 2007-02-19.
  3. ↑ "Issue of June 7, 2004". The Word Detective. June 7, 2004. Retrieved 2007-02-19.
  4. ↑ Harper, Douglas. "stay (v.)". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2007-02-19.
  5. 1 2 William Safire (January 11, 2004). "Janus strikes again – two hot phrases that look both ways" . Retrieved 2007-02-19.
  6. 1 2 3 4 The Editors (January 2005). "The Failure of Empire". Monthly Review .{{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  7. ↑ "Bush's Words on Iraq Echo LBJ in 1967". The Associated Press. September 22, 2005. Retrieved 2007-02-20.'"America is committed to the defense of South Vietnam until an honorable peace can be negotiated," Johnson told the Tennessee Legislature on March 15, 1967. Despite the obstacles to victory, the president said, "We shall stay the course."'
  8. ↑ William Cohen (September 12, 1997). "110th Landon Lecture". Archived from the original on 2006-09-05. Retrieved 2007-02-20.
  9. ↑ "Stay the course" . Retrieved 2007-02-15.
  10. ↑ Ronald Reagan (February 8, 1982). "Message to the Congress Transmitting the Fiscal Year 1983 Budget" . Retrieved 2007-02-19.
  11. ↑ George J. Church (February 15, 1982). "No Time to Retreat". TIME Magazine. Archived from the original on April 8, 2008. Retrieved 2007-02-19.
  12. ↑ Walter Isaacson (November 1, 1982). "A Hot Time on the Hustings". TIME Magazine. Archived from the original on October 15, 2010. Retrieved 2007-02-19.
  13. ↑ Joel Connelly (1988-01-29). "GOP: 'Ron' Bush vs. 'Boat Rocker' Dole". Seattle P-I.
  14. ↑ SNL Transcripts. "SNL sketch: '88 Presidential Debate" . Retrieved 2008-11-05.
  15. ↑ Peterson, Jonathan (1997-07-12). "Crowds Cheer Clinton in Romania Despite NATO Slight". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  16. ↑ "The United States and Romania: Strategic Partners for 25 Years" . Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  17. ↑ Vinall, Cassie (July 10, 2003). "U.S. 'Will Stay the Course' in Iraq, Bush Says". DefenseLINK.
  18. ↑ "Bush: Stay the course on terror war". CNN. May 6, 2004.
  19. ↑ "Bush Drops 'Stay The Course' Phrase". CBS. October 24, 2006.
  20. ↑ "ABC's This Week". ABC. October 2006.
  21. ↑ "Archive of "Stay the course" editorial cartoons by various artists". Archived from the original on 2006-11-06. Retrieved 2007-02-15.
  22. ↑ "Stay-the-Course Man" (Macromedia Flash). cagle.msnbc.com. Retrieved 2007-02-15.
  23. ↑ "Colbert Report: Stay the Course" (Video clip). Comedy Central. Retrieved 2007-02-15.
  24. ↑ "NBC Transcript". alfrankenweb.com. Archived from the original on 2006-11-06. Retrieved 2007-02-15.
  25. ↑ "Terminator: Salvation Trailer". YouTube . 10 July 2014. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.