If we learned anything about George W. Bush when he was in the Rose Garden last week, it was just how much he sees himself as utterly impervious to the obvious will of a majority of the American people.

A buoyant and at times defiant president met with reporters just a few hours after proving that Air Force One can indeed fly to Baghdad and back without incident. Energized by this technological feat, along with the killing the week before of al Qaeda’s leader in Iraq, Bush proceeded to explain why he simply does not care about the persistent parade of opinion polls showing that most Americans are as unhappy as ever with his policies in Iraq. “Don’t bet on American politics forcing my hand, because it’s not going to happen,” Bush said.

There you have it, naysayers. The president has no intention of listening to you.

What now? Voters will not see this Bush on a presidential ballot ever again, so he is out of reach in that respect. The upcoming congressional elections offer little prospect for becoming a referendum on Bush’s course in Iraq, so long as the Democrats continue to present no clear or unified alternative to his policy.

Even if Democrats gain control on Capitol Hill, their prospective Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi of California, has made it clear that she would not pursue impeachment, the last resort for a nation fed up with a second-term president. That leaves Bush in the driver’s seat, free to do whatever he wants in Iraq. And that is precisely what he intends to do.

The situation facing dissenters reminds me of what Marion Barry said after securing re-election as Washington’s mayor a dozen years ago. Asked by a reporter what his message was for the majority of white citizens who voted against him, his reply was simple: “Get over it.”

For those who want the United States to ease off the throttle in Iraq, you have Bush’s answer: Get over it. Indeed, if stubbornness is strength, then he is Superman.

“Stay the course” was George Bush the elder’s campaign mantra when he ran to succeed Ronald Reagan in 1988. For his son it’s much more than a rhetorical device, especially when it comes to keeping troops in harm’s way with no end in sight. It is a policy unto itself — even if no one, including Bush himself, has any clue where the course is actually taking us.

Thelma and Louise stayed the course. And they sailed off a cliff to presumed death in the 1991 film. Thousands stayed the course in New Orleans as Katrina bore down on the city, and many drowned. To most Americans, Bush’s flat refusal to alter his course invokes Einstein’s immortal definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results.

Never mind that this administration’s course in Iraq has changed many times during the past 40 months on the battlefield. It has veered in all directions, from chasing the illusion of massively destructive weapons to the off-and-on-again attitude toward seeking the help of experienced Iraqi military personnel. Add to that the unrealized predictions of thankful Iraqis greeting U.S. troops as liberators — and the initial failure of having an American civilian, L. Paul Bremer, run things — and you have a policy that has never stayed any particular course other than keeping troops on the ground indefinitely.

To this president, “stay the course” really means that the nation must unquestioningly follow whatever path he chooses, no matter how many times his team changes its mind. Even if you buy Bush’s preferred impression that he has followed the same course from day one, his logic fails because the results have only produced a quagmire that is hostage to events not always in U.S. control.

The president has the country over a barrel. Having short-circuited a national debate when there was time to avoid these consequences — before the 2003 invasion — Bush now dismisses a disgruntled country that is finally debating the wisdom of war at a time when pulling out probably leads to nothing but more chaos that could pose an even greater threat to national security.

One wonders what would happen if the president made a wrong turn on a road trip. Is there a chance he’d double back to the right path? I think not. Instead, he gives the impression of someone who would circle the globe before admitting he was lost. He is the stereotypical belligerent male that women often complain about, preferring to stay lost rather than stop and ask someone for directions.

Watching Bush slam the pedal to the metal in the Rose Garden last week seemed like what Thelma says to her pal before Louise slams the car in gear and drives off the cliff: “Hit it!” And as in the film, you could hear the words of the B.B. King song in the background: “Better not look down, if you want to keep on flying.”

Contributing Editor Craig Crawford is a news analyst for MSNBC, CNBC and “The Early Show” on CBS. He can be reached at ccrawford@cq.com.