On the resistance of memory

Okay, so during his interview on ABC's This Week yesterday, President Bush insisted to George Stephanopoulos, "We've never been 'stay the course,' George!"

Except in August:

BUSH: We will stay the course. [8/30/06]

And in July:

BUSH: As a matter of fact, we will win in Iraq so long as we stay the course. [7/11/06]

And August of last year:

BUSH: We will stay the course, we will complete the job in Iraq. [8/4/05]

And April a year before that, like, a lot:

BUSH: And we'll stay the course. [4/20/04]
BUSH: 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. [4/16/04]
BUSH: And my message today to those in Iraq is: We’ll stay the course. [4/13/04]
BUSH: You know, I told the [Spc. Chris Hill's] family how much we appreciated his sacrifice -- he was killed in Iraq -- and assured him that we would stay the course[...]. [4/5/04]
BUSH: And so we’ve got tough action in Iraq. But we will stay the course. [4/5/04]

And the March before that:

BUSH: And I believe there's no doubt that if America stays the course and we call upon others to stay the course, liberty will arrive and the world will be better off. [3/12/04]

And the January before that:

BUSH: We will stay the course until the job is done[...]. [1/23/04]

And the December before that:

BUSH: 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. [12/15/03]

And, well, a whole lotta times:

BUSH: I was able to assure them that we were going to stay the course and get the job done[...]. [11/27/03]
BUSH: And we will stay the course in order to achieve this objective. [10/27/03]
BUSH: This nation will stay the course until Iraq is free and peaceful and prosperous. [10/8/03]
BUSH: We will stay the course. [10/3/03]
BUSH: We're going to stay the course. [8/22/03]
BUSH: And I told him and assured him that the United States would stay the course[...]. [7/14/03]
BUSH: And it's very important for us to stay the course, and we will stay the course. [7/10/03]
BUSH: And we're going to stay the course until the job gets done. [6/5/03]
BUSH: It doesn't matter how long it takes, this country will stay the course[...]. [12/3/02]
BUSH: When it comes to the defense of our freedoms, we will stay the course. [11/4/02]
BUSH: However long it takes, this country of ours will stay the course. We will stay the course to protect America, and we will stay the course to promote the peace. [10/18/02]

What say you, Scott McClellan?

MCCLELLAN: But it's important that we stay the course and finish the job -- and that's what the President has continued to say[...]. [11/13/03]

Scott seems to agree.

So here's the question that's burning in the minds of many: WTF? I can think of three possibilities.

1. Bush has completely forgotten that he said that. Ever. Slipped right out of his mind. He's been under such stress lately that he was sure he'd never said that. Heh! Go figure.
2. When Bush said, "We've never been 'stay the course,'" he didn't mean that he's never said it. He just meant that they've never actually stayed the course.
3. Bush is a lying liar who lies. Unchallenged(?!). On national television.

Your votes go below.

Update: Dan Bartlett lies, too! (H/T MediaMatters)