Stay the Course
This repeat offense has its origins in Dubya's Post-9/11 mantra of "staying the course" in the battle against terrorists worldwide, but has morphed into frequent use in regard to the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq. In a stunning (stubborn) show of consistency, Dubya repeatedly indicates that the conflict is far from over and that he indeed plans to "stay the course".

1. We will stand with the new leaders of Iraq as they build a government of, by, and for the Iraqi people. This is going to take time. The efforts to restore security and infrastructure is going to take time, and it's not going to be easy work. But we will stay the course. (May 2, 2003)
2. It's important we succeed. And so, therefore, our coalition of a lot of countries will stay the course, until such time as the Iraqi people — the life is improved and the Iraqi people would be in a position to, you know, run themselves. (May 29, 2003)
3. Not only does the war on terror go on, but we've got a lot of work to do in Iraq. And we're going to stay the course until the job gets done. (Jun. 5, 2003)
4. Thanks to their bravery and their sacrifice, the world is more peaceful, America is more secure, and the Iraqi people are now free. We have a lot more work to do in Iraq and we'll stay the course. (Jun. 11, 2003)
5. He was a threat to America. He was a threat to freedom-loving countries. He was a threat in the Middle East. But what we're finding out is the nature of this man when it came to how he dealt with the Iraqi people, as well. And it was — it's unbelievable what he did. And I — when it comes to the AIDS initiative, we believe in human dignity, we also believe that everybody ought to live in free societies, too. And so we'll stay the course in Iraq. (Jul. 2, 2003)
6. We haven't been there long. I mean, relatively speaking. We've been there for 90 to 100 days — I don't have the exact number. But I will tell you, it's going to take more than 90 to 100 days for people to recognize the great joys of freedom and the responsibilities that come with freedom. We're making steady progress. 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. (Jul. 10, 2003)
7. We will stay the course. We will not be intimidated by thugs who are trying to create fear, and the conditions for us to remove. A free Iraq is essential to making sure that America and the future generations of America are able to live in peace and freedom. (Oct. 3, 2003)
8. A free Iraq in the middle of the Middle East will change the world. This is historic times. This nation will stay the course until Iraq is free and peaceful and prosperous. (Oct. 8, 2003)
9. Our work in Iraq has been long and hard, and it is not finished. We will stay the course, we will complete the task. (Oct. 9, 2003)
10. We believe — and the Iraqi people will show — that liberty is the hope and the right of every land. Our work in Iraq has been long, it's hard, and it's not finished. We will stay the course. (Oct. 9, 2003)
11. Our work in Iraq has been long, it's hard, and it's not finished. We will stay the course. We will complete our job. And beyond Iraq, the war on terror continues. There will be no quick victory in this war. We will persevere and victory is certain. (Oct. 9, 2003)
12. Saddam holdouts and foreign terrorists are desperately trying to undermine Iraq's progress. See, they hate freedom. They can't stand the thought of a peaceful and hopeful society. They want to throw the country into chaos. The terrorists believe their attacks on innocent people will weaken our resolve. They don't understand our country. See, they believe we'll run from a challenge. This country will not be intimidated by a group of cold-blooded killers. This country will stay the course. (Oct. 15, 2003)
13. It's in the national interest of the United States that a peaceful Iraq emerge. And we will stay the course in order to achieve this objective. (Oct. 27, 2003)
14. The terrorists rely on the death of innocent people to create the conditions of fear that, therefore, will cause people to lose their will. That's their strategy. And it's a pretty clear strategy to me. And this country will stay the course. We'll do our job. And it's to our interest that we do our job. It's in our interest we do our job for a free world. A free Iraq is essential to creating conditions of peace. (Oct. 28, 2003)
15. These people want to — these people being the terrorists and those who would kill innocent life — want us to retreat, they want us to leave, because they know that a free and peaceful Iraq in their midst will damage their cause. And we will stay the course, we will do our job. (Nov. 4, 2003)
16. In terms of security, we will do whatever it takes to help Iraq develop into a free and peaceful country. That is our goal. And we will stay there until the job is done. And then we'll leave. ...We will stay the course, and as more and more Iraqis realize freedom is precious and freedom is a beautiful way of life, they will assume more and more responsibilities, not only for security, but for humanitarian reasons, as well. (Nov. 14, 2003)
17. Free countries listen to the hopes and aspirations of the people who live in those countries. America also believes that freedom is not America's gift to the world, freedom is the Almighty's gift to every person who lives in this world. And this nation will stay the course to bring democracy and freedom to Afghanistan and Iraq. And by doing so, we will not only help the long-suffering people in those countries, we will make America more secure and the world more peaceful. (Nov. 25, 2003)
18. Chalabi was there, as was Dr. Khuzaii, who had come to the Oval Office, I don't know if you all were in the pool that day, but she was there — she was there with him, and one other fellow, and I had a good talk with them. We were there for about maybe a little less than 30 minutes. I was able to assure them that we were going to stay the course and get the job done. (Nov. 27, 2003)
19. Having seen the reaction of those troops, you know it was the right thing to do. And the word will get out. And their parents will appreciate it, and their loved ones will appreciate it. I went over there to thank them — and not only thank them, but to remind them our country stands with them, and that we will stay the course until the job is done. ...And they feel like they're making good progress. You can measure based upon feedback from the ground. That's what they get. And that's — they're upbeat. They just said, Mr. President, we'll stay the — you stay the course, we'll succeed. And my message was, I know you'll succeed, and I'm here to tell you we're going to stay the course. (Nov. 27, 2003)
20. 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 the citizens of Iraq need to know we will stay the course. (Dec. 15, 2003)
21. Vicente Fox is a good enough friend for him to be able to express his opinion to me without the loss of friendship. And he didn't agree with the decision I made. But the decision I made was the right one for America. And history will prove it's the right one for the world. And we will stay the course until the job is done. And the job is getting done. Iraq is more free every day. (Jan. 12, 2004)
22. We will stay the course until the job is done, because a free Iraq in the heart of the Middle East will make the world more peaceful. (Jan. 23, 2004)
23. A free Iraq will change a neighborhood that needs to be free. A free Iraq will make the world more peaceful. But a free Iraq is something that the terrorists fear. They hate freedom. They can't stand the thought of a free society. So they're willing to kill. And they're trying to shake our will. But they don't understand this country. We will never be intimidated by thugs and assassins. This country will stay the course and get the job done. We will get the job done. (Apr. 2, 2004)
24. I just met with Specialist Chris Hill's family from North Carolina. You know, I told the family how much we appreciated his sacrifice — he was killed in Iraq — and assured him that we would stay the course. (Apr. 5, 2004)
25. We've got to stay the course, and we will stay the course. The message to the Iraqi citizens is they don't have to fear that America will turn and run. And that's an important message for them to hear. If they think that we're not sincere about staying the course, many people will not continue to take a risk toward — take the risk toward freedom and democracy. (Apr. 5, 2004)
26. I met with the family of a fellow who — who was killed in Iraq. It's part of my duty, it's part of my obligation. It was an uplifting experience to meet with a family that loves their country. I told the — I told the dad, and the mom, and the wife that we'd stay the course. (Apr. 5, 2004)
27. They want to shake our will. So we've got tough action in Iraq. But we will stay the course. (Apr. 5, 2004)
28. There's a lot of brave people there that want to be free, but they've been tortured and terrorized and traumatized by a tyrant. And it's going to take a while for them to understand what freedom is all about. We will pass sovereignty on June 30th. We will stay the course in Iraq. (Apr. 6, 2004)
29. We will stay the course. The Iraqi people don't have to fear taking the risk toward freedom and democracy because America won't turn and run. (Apr. 6, 2004)
30. Look, this is hard work. It's hard to advance freedom in a country that has been strangled by tyranny. And, yet, we must stay the course, because the end result is in our nation's interest. ...And my message today to those in Iraq is we'll stay the course. We'll complete the job. My message to our troops is we will stay the course and complete the job and you'll have what you need. (Apr. 13, 2004)
31. Mr. Carman must know that our prayers are with him, and with those of others who have lost a loved one in Iraq, and that the mission that his son was on was a noble and important mission for peace and freedom, and for the security of America. And we will stay the course in Iraq so that his son did not die in vain. (Apr. 15, 2004)
32. It's a wonderful feeling to have a strong ally in believing in the power of free societies and liberty. And that's why we're going to stay the course in Iraq. (Apr. 16, 2004)
33. There are a lot of people in the world who believe that certain societies can't self-govern. That's not what Americans believe. I told you, we believe freedom is in the soul of every human being. People long for freedom. It's not easy, though, to go from being tortured and maimed, and a society where there is mass graves, to a free society. It's hard work. It's really hard work. But Americans are used to hard work when it comes to a cause greater than ourself. And that's what we're doing. And we'll stay the course. (Apr. 20, 2004)
34. People say — people say, how long are they going to be there? They will be there until we complete the mission in Afghanistan and Iraq. The mission is a country that can defend itself, and a free country. That's the mission. I talk to parents all the time. I say, listen, I want your child home as quickly as possible. But we must not send mixed signals. We must stay the course until the job is done. (Aug. 13, 2004)
35. In order to make the world a more peaceful place, when you say something, you better mean it. And we've told the people of Afghanistan, Iraq, we'll help them. We will stay the course so that they can develop an army and police force of their own so they can defend themselves. (Sep. 13, 2004)
36. It's hard work in Iraq. Everybody knows that. We see it on our TV. My message is that — is that we will stay the course and stand with these people so that they become free. (Sep. 23, 2004)
37. We will stay the course, we will complete the job in Iraq. And the job is this. We'll help the Iraqis develop a democracy. (Aug. 4, 2005)
38. 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. If by stay the course they mean that we're not learning from our experiences, or adjusting our tactics to meet the challenges on the ground, then they're flat wrong. (Nov. 30, 2005)
39. We're not going to lose in Iraq. As a matter of fact, we will win in Iraq so long as we stay the course. (Jul. 11, 2006)
40. Iraq is the central front in this war on terror. If we leave the streets of Baghdad before the job is done, we will have to face the terrorists in our own cities. We will stay the course, we will help this young Iraqi democracy succeed, and victory in Iraq will be a major ideological triumph in the struggle of the 21st century. (Aug. 30, 2006)
41. And so, for those folks saying, make sure there's flexibility, I couldn't agree more with you. And I think the characterization of let's stay the course is about a quarter right. Stay the course means keep doing what you're doing. My attitude is, don't do what you're doing if it's not working, change. Stay the course also means don't leave before the job is done. (Oct. 11, 2006)
42. Somehow it seeped in their conscious that my attitude was just simply stay the course. Stay the course means let's get the job done, but it doesn't mean staying stuck on a strategy or tactics that may not be working. So perhaps I need to do a better job of explaining that we're constantly adjusting. (Nov. 8, 2006)