Stay the course
Encyclopedia
"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 W. Bush
, George H. W. Bush
, and Ronald Reagan
.
", 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.. Citations from the late 19th century, however, show the phrase describing horses having the stamina to remain on the course of a racetrack. Safire found the same, writing that the earliest such use found was for an 1873 rowing competition. 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.
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." It had been invoked during wartime by President Lyndon Johnson in a 1967 speech and by Johnson's Undersecretary of the Air Force Townsend Hoopes
.
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?" The anecdote became a favorite of Democratic hawk Sen. Henry Jackson
, and was retold by Secretary of Defense William Cohen
more than once during his tenure.
"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, and it was included in his 1982 budget message, where he sought to allay fears that his policies were causing a recession. He continued using it as a slogan through the November election.
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. His over-use of the phrase was parodied in a Saturday Night Live sketch.
, Botswana
, after a meeting with President Festus Gontebanye Mogae to discuss the War on Terrorism
. 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.
However, the phrase was eventually dropped by Bush two weeks before the 2006 U.S. midterm elections
, 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'."
to Chip Bok
of the Akron Beacon Journal
. It has also been parodied by numerous television shows, such as The Colbert Report and Saturday Night Live
. The phrase was also used in Pixar
's 2008 movie WALL-E
in a message to Axiom from the CEO of Earth, and is a recurring phrase in the 2000 film The Patriot
.
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
, and Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
.
Origins
Similar to "cut and runCut and run
Cut and run is a pejorative phrase used in the context of a war or battle meaning cowardly retreat. Thus, stripped of emotional connotation, the phrase simply means withdraw or retire from the conflict at issue...
", a pejorative
Pejorative
Pejoratives , including name slurs, are words or grammatical forms that connote negativity and express contempt or distaste. A term can be regarded as pejorative in some social groups but not in others, e.g., hacker is a term used for computer criminals as well as quick and clever computer experts...
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
William Safire
William Lewis Safire was an American author, columnist, journalist and presidential speechwriter....
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.. Citations from the late 19th century, however, show the phrase describing horses having the stamina to remain on the course of a racetrack. Safire found the same, writing that the earliest such use found was for an 1873 rowing competition. Safire's correspondent, lexicographer Benjamin Zimmer
Benjamin Zimmer
Benjamin Zimmer is an American linguist and lexicographer. He is the executive producer of the Visual Thesaurus and Vocabulary.com. He was the "On Language" columnist for The New York Times Magazine from March 2010 to February 2011 and formerly a research associate at the University of...
, 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
Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe was an English dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. As the foremost Elizabethan tragedian, next to William Shakespeare, he is known for his blank verse, his overreaching protagonists, and his mysterious death.A warrant was issued for Marlowe's arrest on 18 May...
used it in that sense in The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus
The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus
The Tragicall History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus, commonly referred to simply as Doctor Faustus, is a play by Christopher Marlowe, based on the Faust story, in which a man sells his soul to the devil for power and knowledge...
in 1588.
The phrase has had fitful use in American politics. It was used by several figures during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, including Gen. William Westmoreland
William Westmoreland
William Childs Westmoreland was a United States Army General, who commanded US military operations in the Vietnam War at its peak , during the Tet Offensive. He adopted a strategy of attrition against the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam and the North Vietnamese Army. He later served as...
, who wrote in his 1976 autobiography A Soldier Reports that "a lack of determination to stay the course...demonstrated in Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
, and Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
that the alternative to victory was defeat." It had been invoked during wartime by President Lyndon Johnson in a 1967 speech and by Johnson's Undersecretary of the Air Force Townsend Hoopes
Townsend Hoopes
Townsend Walter Hoopes II was an American historian, who reached the height of his career as Under Secretary of the Air Force from 1967 to 1969.-Biography:Hoopes, known as Tim, was born in Duluth, Minnesota...
.
The phrase gained a central place in rhetoric due to the publication by journalist Stewart Alsop
Stewart Alsop
Stewart Johonnot Oliver Alsop was an American newspaper columnist and political analyst.Born and raised in Avon, Connecticut, Alsop attended Groton School and Yale University...
in his 1973 memoirs of a conversation with Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
. Alsop related that the British Prime Minister had pondered at the close of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, "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?" The anecdote became a favorite of Democratic hawk Sen. Henry Jackson
Henry Jackson
Henry Jackson may refer to:* Henry Jackson , English classicist at Cambridge University* Henry Jackson , Massachusetts soldier in the American Revolutionary War* Henry Jackson Henry Jackson may refer to:* Henry Jackson (classicist) (1839–1921), English classicist at Cambridge University* Henry...
, and was retold by Secretary of Defense William Cohen
William Cohen
William Sebastian Cohen is an author and American politician from the U.S. state of Maine. A Republican, Cohen served as Secretary of Defense under Democratic President Bill Clinton.-Early life and education:...
more than once during his tenure.
"Stay the course" was later popularized by Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
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, and it was included in his 1982 budget message, where he sought to allay fears that his policies were causing a recession. He continued using it as a slogan through the November election.
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. His over-use of the phrase was parodied in a Saturday Night Live sketch.
George W. Bush
The phrase was first used by Bush in July 2003 while in GaboroneGaborone
' is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 191,776 based on a 2006 survey, about 10% of the total population of Botswana....
, Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
, after a meeting with President Festus Gontebanye Mogae to discuss the War on Terrorism
War on Terrorism
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
. Bush, along with Vice President Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
and White House Press Secretary
White House Press Secretary
The White House Press Secretary is a senior White House official whose primary responsibility is to act as spokesperson for the government administration....
Scott McClellan
Scott McClellan
Scott McClellan is a former White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush, and author of a controversial No. 1 New York Times bestseller about the Bush Administration titled What Happened. He replaced Ari Fleischer as press secretary in July 2003 and served until May 10, 2006...
, 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
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
would "use Iraq as an example of defeating freedom and democracy" if the United States were to withdraw.
However, the phrase was eventually dropped by Bush two weeks before the 2006 U.S. midterm elections
United States general elections, 2006
The 2006 United States midterm elections were held on Tuesday, November 7, 2006. All United States House of Representatives seats and one third of the United States Senate seats were contested in this election, as well as 36 state governorships, many state legislatures, four territorial...
, due to continual pressure to change his Iraq War strategy. Tony Snow
Tony Snow
Robert Anthony "Tony" Snow was an American journalist, political commentator, television news anchor, syndicated columnist, radio host, musician, and the third White House Press Secretary under President George W. Bush. Snow also worked for President George H. W. Bush as chief speechwriter and...
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
George Stephanopoulos
George Robert Stephanopoulos is an American television journalist and a former political advisor.Stephanopoulos is most well known as the chief political correspondent for ABC News – the news division of the broadcast television network ABC – and a co-anchor of ABC News's morning news...
of ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
's This Week
This Week (ABC TV series)
This Week is ABC's Sunday morning political affairs program.The Sunday morning talk show has aired on Sunday mornings on ABC since 1981; the program is initially aired at 9:00 AM ET, although many stations air the program later, especially those in other time zones...
, Bush stated that "we've never been stay the course", in response to a question asking him about his thoughts on James Baker
James Baker
James Addison Baker, III is an American attorney, politician and political advisor.Baker served as the Chief of Staff in President Ronald Reagan's first administration and in the final year of the administration of President George H. W. Bush...
’s comments that the strategy in Iraq should be "between 'stay the course' and 'cut and run'."
Popular culture
The phrase has been repeatedly parodied by political cartoonists, ranging from animator Mark FioreMark Fiore
Mark Fiore is an American political cartoonist specializing in Flash-animated editorial cartoons, whom the Wall Street Journal recently called the undisputed guru of the form....
to Chip Bok
Chip Bok
Chip Bok is an American editorial cartoonist for the Akron Beacon Journal. He received the National Cartoonist Society Editorial Cartoon Award for 1995 and 1999.-External links:*...
of the Akron Beacon Journal
Akron Beacon Journal
The Akron Beacon Journal is a four-time Pulitzer Prize-winning morning newspaper in Akron, Ohio, United States, and published by Black Press Ltd.. It is the sole daily newspaper in Akron and is distributed throughout Northeast Ohio. The paper places a strong emphasis on local news and business...
. It has also been parodied by numerous television shows, such as The Colbert Report and Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
. The phrase was also used in Pixar
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
's 2008 movie WALL-E
WALL-E
WALL-E, promoted with an interpunct as WALL•E, is a 2008 American computer-animated science fiction film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and directed by Andrew Stanton. The story follows a robot named WALL-E, who is designed to clean up a waste-covered Earth far in the future...
in a message to Axiom from the CEO of Earth, and is a recurring phrase in the 2000 film The Patriot
The Patriot (2000 film)
The Patriot is a 2000 historical war film directed by Roland Emmerich, written by Robert Rodat, and starring Mel Gibson, Chris Cooper, and Heath Ledger. It was produced by the Mutual Film Company and Centropolis Entertainment and was distributed by Columbia Pictures...
.