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.
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, 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.
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. His frequent use of the phrase was parodied in a Saturday Night Live sketch.
Bill Clinton The phrase was used by
Bill Clinton speaking at Bucharest's University Square in July 1997 while in
Bucharest,
Romania. President Clinton announced the Strategic Partnership between the United States and Romania 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. 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'." ==Popular culture==