stay the course

stay the courseは「（困難にもめげず）がんばって成し遂げる」という意味。昔、Bushが大統領選でとっていたキャッチフレーズで有名になったものですね（cf. cut and run）。（UG）

Kerry: U.S. will stay the course despite shutdown

BALI, Indonesia (AP) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned Congress on Saturday to think "long and hard" about the negative message that the partial government shutdown is sending around the world, even as he disputed the perception that the deadlock in Washington is a sign of weakness.

The seemingly contradictory points underscored one problem the Obama administration faces as it tries to convince lawmakers to end the shutdown: arguing that it hurts the national security interests of the United States and its friends while at the same time telling nervous allies that it does no such thing.

"I believe that those standing in the way (of a resolution) need to think long and hard about the message that we send to the world when we can't get our own act together," Kerry told reporters on the sidelines of the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum on the Indonesian resort island of Bali.
"End it now, end it today," he said.

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20131005p2g00m0in070000c.html