flip flop:


Tony Snow on 'Stay the Course' Correction

By E&P Staff

Published: October 23, 2006 5:55 PM ET

NEW YORK Much was made on Monday, in and out of the blogosphere, concerning top White House aide Donald Bartlett stating on TV this morning that President Bush really did not believe in "stay the course" in Iraq, but actually was quite flexible in his views. Bush himself had said on ABC on Sunday, "we've never been stay the course."

This surprised many observers, since the president had often used this phrase to describe our Iraq policy, in press or public meetings, as recently as Aug. 30.

Naturally, at press briefing today, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow was asked about this after he described the flexibility notion. One exchange follows.

*
Q Tony, it seems what you have is not "stay the course." Has anybody told the President he should stop calling it "stay the course" then?

MR. SNOW: I don't think he's used that term in a while.

Q Oh, yes, he has, repeatedly.

MR. SNOW: When?

Q Well, in August, because I wrote a story saying he didn't use it -- and I was quite sternly corrected.

MR. SNOW: No, he stopped using it.

Q Why would he stop using it?

MR. SNOW: Because it left the wrong impression about what was going on. And it allowed critics to say, well, here's an administration that's just embarked upon a policy and not looking at what the situation is, when, in fact, it's just the opposite. The President is determined not to leave Iraq short of victory, but he also understands that it's important to capture the dynamism of the efforts that have been ongoing to try to make Iraq more secure, and therefore, enhance the clarification -- or the greater precision.

Q Is the President responsible for the fact people think it's stay the course since he's, in fact, described it that way himself?

MR. SNOW: No.

Harry says: "enhancing the clarification" getting more difficult every day for little grasshopper

Snow is a piece of work. If there weren't such real world ramifications to his sort of obs-fuck-ations, I'd admire his brazen bull balls.

In every war, the generals tend to want to re-fight the last war. This flip-flop, stay the course/lie and die bs is counterproductive. I understand that when your opponent is drowning you should throw him an anvil, but in this case I think the back and forth of he said-he didn't say might take away from the real argument.

But what the fuck do I know? I actually want America to win this war.

I just hope they make some decent movies out of it. Haven't a decent movie war since Nam.

Three Kings?

1. I appreciate the reference to history, but this is particularly brazen, in that the Bushites have promoted this "steadfastnest" as the distinguishing characteristic of a higher order male, the Bush stay-the-course Republican, as opposed to the "flip-flopping" liberal who will not protect the Homeland. They are now dissembling their own language and recent history... in almost as shameless a linguistic turn as "it depends on what your definition of is.. is..."

2. As has been said by many, the war on islamo-terrorism is very different from traditional wars... our "invading" Iraq is as antiquated as the redcoat phalanxes of the British army standing and firing against a ragtag army of American colonials, hidden behind rocks and trees and fililng the fields of Lexington and Concord with English blood. The reasoned inquiry must be: did the invasion of Iraq make us less likely to win the "war." The answering is increasingly depressing... they didn't know what the fuck they were doing and still don't.

Possibly the first Harry post with which I agree in its entirety, although I think the better red-coat analogy is the Sepoy Rebellion.

I agree with this, but I also understand the statement made by Snow about how they want people to know that they are intent on "victory" but understand that the situation is a complex series of events and not just a policy that was hammered in and meant to be unwaivering. It was like saying, "we're not gonna just leave, but leaving and altering current policies and modes of action is a serious necessity". I just wish they would actually say that. SOmething like, "man, we got in WAY over our heads and now we gotta do what we can to clean this mess up".

However, Iraq and Afghanistan are a mess and I don't know enough nor do I respect politicians enough to understand "intent" and "rhetoric" in speeches and press conferences. I get frustrated with politics because I get overwhelmed with the game of it and what seems to be shows and dances for the general public where it seems like none of them really care about anything other than their office and maintaining their couple hundred thousand a year.

I wish we would have just finished the job in Afghanistan.

Iraq was like going back for thirds at Thanksgiving dinner when you already had 1st's and 2nd's still on your plate.

I've repeatedly repeated this ever-obvious lament and it still remains true.

I am telling you, give me an afternoon, a fifth of tequila, and you'll leave a card-carrying democratic socialist and only a little bit sore.

You'd have to make it Bombay, I can't touch tequilla anymore.

I don't like making comparisons to Vietnam in relation to this very much because there is so much different about that than Iraq and Afghanistan. However, it seems like common sense that one guerilla war is quite enough at one time so avoiding two guerilla wars is probably the best course of action.

I think we should reword the quote from the Vincini from the Princess Bride:

"The second is never get involved in [two guerilla wars at the same time] and the first is never get in a battle of the wits with a Sicilian!"

But there is a 'difference' if the Dems propose a change in strategy 'cus things ain't going so well, it is called "cutting 'n' running", but if the Repubs propose a change in strategy 'cus things ain't going so well, then it is called "a well planned, well thought-out necesssary military intellegence strategic manuver."

As long as there are men with forked tongue, Politics will always be a dirty word.

Also, it's 'cause everyone called GHWB a WIMP.

So lemme see if I have this straight...

The New & Improved Plan Fer Victory is a 2-pronged attack :

1. "I ain't gonna say Stay The Course anymore."

2. "Daddy's gonna bail me out ( again ) - he's got one'a his buddies conjuring up some kinda idea."

As Seinfeld would say, good luck with all that.

He cleared it all up on msnbc. He says he never said "stay the course" but, when it sounded like he repeatedly said it and we all heard it, he meant to "stay the course" in a "change the course" kinda way. Because for him to mean stay the course in an overdue change of course situation, that would of course negate a perceived need to change the course as a necessity for situational cause in Iraq that requires a change of course due to lack of progress.

I did my best to understand what he meant.

You are totally fabricating this... he is incapable of sentences that long.

LIBERAL MEDIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You forgot that he is Yale and Harvard educated. Really, not kidding.

stay the course

the google

Wow!!! This denial doesn't make any sense at all. Does he really have that bad of a memory or is something amiss here?

THis thread is now Music Related - go Kronos Quartet