pudge's Journal: Stay the Course

OK. The left still won't let this "stay the course" thing go.

Here's what happened. For years, Bush and others have said we should "stay the course" in Iraq. What they meant by that was clear: that we should stay in Iraq and finish the job, until the job is done.

The Democrats have been accusing the Republicans, for many months now, of being inflexible to changing situations on the ground in Iraq. They have retroactively changed the GOP's meaning of "stay the course" to match this criticism: to Democrats, a Republican saying "stay the course" means "don't change anything we're doing in Iraq," even though it's clear that's never been the intended meaning.

So the Republicans have lately been saying, "well, we haven't been saying we should 'stay the course.'" The implied (or expressed) meaning is that they have not been saying we should not be willing to make adjustments. The Democrats then say "aha! you're lying! of course you've used the exact words 'stay the course' before!"

It is true they have used those words, many times. It is not true that they ever used those words to mean what Democrats say those words mean. This whole "debate" over "stay the course" is based on the intentional misrepresentation of the meaning of the phrase by Democrats trying to capitalize on voter despair over how the war is going.

Even if some Republicans are lying by saying they never said "stay the course," it's entirely in direct response to Democrats lying about the meaning of "stay the course."

This is just one of the stupidest "debates" I've ever seen in my life.

stupid debates

[eglamkowski]

Most of our political debates these days have become stupid. Or maybe they've always been stupid but it's been too long since it mattered that I don't remember. But I think it really has become stupider, no matter what the issue.

Re:

[pudge]

They have often been stupid. I am reminded of the Democratic-Republicans attacking President John Adams for implementing a policy toward France that that they agreed with. "You're a British-loving Monarchist! We should try to be friends to France!" "No, maybe some Federalists are, but I do want to negotiate a peace with France." "Well ... but ... um ... it's not going to work!" "Why?" "Um ... because you're a Monarchist!"

But it rarely sinks to this level of stupidity. "You said $x = 2!" "No, I said

Re:

[strspn]

Are the debates about Foley stupid? Is is stupid that the congressional Republicans looked the other way from pedophilia in their ranks while playing lip service to conservative Christians such as yourself?

Re:

[pudge]

Are the debates about Foley stupid?

Mostly, yes.

Is is stupid that the congressional Republicans looked the other way from pedophilia in their ranks

Is it stupid that you are asserting something as fact, despite having no evidence to back up the claim?

Yes, yes, it is.

Well I can see how Reps would view it that way

[NeMon'ess]

After all, the Bush team has been saying stay the course as they kept spouting nonsense about the situation in Iraq improving. It makes sense to stay the course if thing are getting better. Except Dems have been paying attention to how the situation has deteriorated, so they see staying the course as Bush wanting to continue letting Iraq go further to hell.

What they meant by that was clear: that we should stay in Iraq and finish the job, until the job is done.

Except when they used stay the course as an ex

Re:

[pudge]

After all, the Bush team has been saying stay the course as they kept spouting nonsense about the situation in Iraq improving

That is not a reason why the GOP might see it the way they do; it's a reason the Dems might see it the way THEY do. Because they incorrectly thought the juxtaposition of those things were that closely related.

It makes sense to stay the course if thing are getting better. Except Dems have been paying attention to how the situation has deteriorated, so they see staying the course as Bu

Re:

[tf23]

What they meant by that was clear: that we should stay in Iraq and finish the job, until the job is done.

So why are some now claiming it wasn't ever said, while others claiming very, very minimally?

I caught something, I think it was on Countdown, where someone from the Whitehouse said that President Bush may have said it 8 times. So they went through old video tapes - showed the President repeating that counted into the 20's. I'm sure there's many, many more.

I just don't understand if they did mean "stay i

Re:

[pudge]

So why are some now claiming it wasn't ever said

I do not know. But it is absolutely true that it wasn't ever said with the meaning the Democrats attribute to it. Let's take the worst-case scenario, that some Republicans say and mean that those words were never actually said, that they are lying. This lie is in direct response to a greater lie, that the Republicans have meant something by those words that they obviously never meant.

The Republicans say, "$x is $y!"

The Democrats say, "you said $x is $z!"

The