Not Staying The Course On Staying The Course

Ever since the invasion of Iraq, the soundbite from the White House has been "stay the course" or some variaton thereof.

We will stay the course.

We will stay the course, we will complete the job in Iraq.

We will stay the course until the job is done, Steve. And the temptation is to try to get the President or somebody to put a timetable on the definition of getting the job done. We’re just going to stay the course.

And my message today to those in Iraq is: We’ll stay the course.

And that’s why we’re going to stay the course in Iraq. And that’s why when we say something in Iraq, we’re going to do it.

And so we’ve got tough action in Iraq. But we will stay the course.

(All quotes Pres. George W. Bush)

So, apparently, not only have we been staying the course, but we are so committed that we are, if you'll pardon the expression, staying the course on staying the course.

Until today*.

Not only are we no longer staying the course on staying the course, we aren't even simply staying the course at all. The course is dead to us. The course knows what it did, why we aren't staying.

Oh, but worse.

Apparently, not only are we neither staying the course on staying the course, nor simply staying the course at all, we never were staying the course.

Y'know, I miss bits of England. I've posted on the subject before. And one of the things I miss about English telly is the way English political interviewers are unafraid to call bullshit.

Imagine if that that been Blair trying such a blatant falsehood on someone like Brian Walden. You'd have heard the outrage all over the country with your tv set off.

And it's not just interviewers but viewers, too. Remember that housewife roasting Margaret Thatcher over the sinking of the Belgrano?

*Hat tip to AMERICAblog.