--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: During the Reagan Administration, Bob…" description: "\"During the Reagan Administration, Bob Dole was present at a ceremony that included each living ex-president. Looking at a tableau of Ford, Carter and N..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6f/al-franken-1407_administration_during-the-reagan-administration-bob-dol_2627094.jpg" --- # During the Reagan Administration, Bob Dole was present at… ![“During the Reagan Administration, Bob Dole was present at a ceremony that included each living ex-president. Looking at a tableau of Ford, Carter and Nixon, Dole said, 'There they are: Hear No Evil, See No Evil and Evil.'” quote by Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6f/al-franken-1407_administration_during-the-reagan-administration-bob-dol_2627094.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6f/al-franken-1407_administration_during-the-reagan-administration-bob-dol_2627094.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6f/al-franken-1407_administration_during-the-reagan-administration-bob-dol_2627094.jpg) > “During the Reagan Administration, Bob Dole was present at a ceremony that included each living ex-president. Looking at a tableau of Ford, Carter and Nixon, Dole said, 'There they are: Hear No Evil, See No Evil and Evil.'” [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Political satire highlights the absurdity of labeling leaders as wholly good or evil. **In simple terms:** Leaders can't be neatly categorized as only good or bad. Key Takeaway Recognize nuance in political figures. Themes politics humor satire Mood witty critical Type satirical observational When to use this quote - watching elections - reading political commentary - discussing leadership - analyzing media bias Key Concepts political science media criticism Questions to Reflect On - What are the risks of reducing politics to jokes? - How can satire foster deeper understanding? A Different Perspective Humor may oversimplify complex realities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Administration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/administration/) [Bob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bob/) [Bob Dole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bob-dole-1749556/) [Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carter/) [Ceremony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ceremony/) [Dole Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dole-said-2157583/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Exes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exes/) [Nixon Dole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nixon-dole-2157582/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reagan/) [Reagan Administration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reagan-administration-617381/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Tableau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tableau-182342/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) ## Related quotes > [Phrase it in an interesting way; don't phrase it in a mean or unfriendly way. Bob Dole said that if there's anything he would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/phrase-it-in-an-interesting-way-don-t-phrase-it-in-a-mean-or/) [Roger Ailes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/) > [The House okayed the gasoline tax cut, which will increase the deficit, line the pockets of the oil companies, and hurt the environment; Dole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/the-house-okayed-the-gasoline-tax-cut-which-will-increase-the-deficit/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [It was simply impossible to support Carter for reelection in 1980 and easy for me to support Reagan. The Reagan campaign was happy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/it-was-simply-impossible-to-support-carter-for-reelection-in-1980-and/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [Bob Dole used to be really funny. Barney Frank can be kind of funny. Bob Kerrey has a good sense of humor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/bob-dole-used-to-be-really-funny-barney-frank-can-be-kind-of-funny/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [History is but the record of crimes and misfortunes. L'histoire n'est que le tableau des crimes et des malheurs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/history-is-but-the-record-of-crimes-and-misfortunes-l-histoire-n-est/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [But the average person doesnt have that much imagination. They just want to be entertained. They want to have the tableau presented for them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-szandor-lavey/but-the-average-person-doesnt-have-that-much-imagination-they-just/) [Anton Szandor LaVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-szandor-lavey/) > [When we play music we describe the echo the tableau of natural forms, their shapes and arrangements, as uncovered by the composer's imagination, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-sherman/when-we-play-music-we-describe-the-echo-the-tableau-of-natural-forms/) [Russell Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-sherman/) > [I do have a dream, a tableau of the bathing place of La Grenouillère, for which I've done some bad pochades (sketches), but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/i-do-have-a-dream-a-tableau-of-the-bathing-place-of-la-grenouill-re/) [Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/) > [Gardens do offer a temporal tableau and certainly mean differently in different eras and indeed geographies (think of the formal gardens in France).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-ronk/gardens-do-offer-a-temporal-tableau-and-certainly-mean-differently-in/) [Martha Ronk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-ronk/) > [I felt like a Tinker toy kid building my own self out of one of those toy building sets; for as she laid her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/i-felt-like-a-tinker-toy-kid-building-my-own-self-out-of-one-of-those/) [James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/) > [“But when it seems insurmountable, I need reminders like this that you can get used to it. That it can take on the comfort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/but-when-it-seems-insurmountable-i-need-reminders-like-this-that-you/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [The desire to express in an art form and to compose a tableau and vignette whether it's humorous, burlesque, or poetic comes simply from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/the-desire-to-express-in-an-art-form-and-to-compose-a-tableau-and/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [I almost dropped dead the first time I heard Bob Dole say 'gay marriage' on the floor of the senate. He wasn't saying nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherry-jones/i-almost-dropped-dead-the-first-time-i-heard-bob-dole-say-gay/) [Cherry Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherry-jones/) > [As Bob Dole found out, you can't keep a positive image while being your party's mouthpiece in Congress. That's why no legislative leader since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-morris/as-bob-dole-found-out-you-can-t-keep-a-positive-image-while-being/) [Dick Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-morris/) > [If something happened along the route and you had to leave your children with Bob Dole or Bill Clinton, I think you would probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dole/if-something-happened-along-the-route-and-you-had-to-leave-your/) [Bob Dole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dole/) ## More by Al Franken > [I want to reclaim 'liberal.' I'm a liberal, and I think most Americans are liberals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/i-want-to-reclaim-liberal-i-m-a-liberal-and-i-think-most-americans/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [“The Democratic Senator’s Serenity Prayer God Grant Me the Serenity to Accept the Things I Cannot Legislate The Courage to Legislate the Things I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/the-democratic-senator-s-serenity-prayer-god-grant-me-the-serenity-to/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [I'm for Israel's right to exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/i-m-for-israel-s-right-to-exist/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [You have to love your country like an adult loves somebody, not like a child loves its mommy. And right-wing Republicans tend to love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/you-have-to-love-your-country-like-an-adult-loves-somebody-not-like-a/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [Antitrust law isn't about protecting competing businesses from each other, it's about protecting competition itself on behalf of the public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/antitrust-law-isn-t-about-protecting-competing-businesses-from-each/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [Putin has had many positive experiences working with Western political leaders whose business interests made them more disposed to deal with Russia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/putin-has-had-many-positive-experiences-working-with-western/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [I'm crushed by the responsibility of writing a satirical book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/i-m-crushed-by-the-responsibility-of-writing-a-satirical-book/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [“right wing’s most common techniques—including the deceptive use of statistics.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/right-wing-s-most-common-techniques-including-the-deceptive-use-of/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [I know I have an awful lot to learn from the people of Minnesota.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/i-know-i-have-an-awful-lot-to-learn-from-the-people-of-minnesota/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [Apple has long been a leading innovator of mobile technology; I myself own an iPhone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/apple-has-long-been-a-leading-innovator-of-mobile-technology-i-myself/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [I am a Minnesotan, and not just because I root for the Vikings and the Twins. I like the Minnesota-nice sensibility. I like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/i-am-a-minnesotan-and-not-just-because-i-root-for-the-vikings-and-the/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [My dad didn't graduate from high school, ended up being a printing salesman, probably never made more than $8,000 a year. My mom sold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/my-dad-didn-t-graduate-from-high-school-ended-up-being-a-printing/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [“As the polls began closing in the East, with states like New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Virginia going for Barack Obama, it was quickly becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/as-the-polls-began-closing-in-the-east-with-states-like-new-hampshire/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [Net neutrality isn't a government takeover of the Internet, as many of my Republican colleagues have alleged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/net-neutrality-isn-t-a-government-takeover-of-the-internet-as-many-of/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [Demagoguery sells. And therefore, radio stations will put it on. But that doesn't mean that you can't do something else and also make it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/demagoguery-sells-and-therefore-radio-stations-will-put-it-on-but/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) [Explore all 245 Al Franken quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) ## More Administration quotes > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [While the people retain their virtue and vigilance, no administration, by any extreme of wickedness or folly, can very seriously injure the government in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/while-the-people-retain-their-virtue-and-vigilance-no-administration/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [If you want to serve in a Trump administration, you're going to serve this country, not yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-spicer/if-you-want-to-serve-in-a-trump-administration-you-re-going-to-serve/) [Sean Spicer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-spicer/) > [Listen, I have a great affection and respect for Joe Biden. I think he's been a great vice president. He's taken on a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-axelrod/listen-i-have-a-great-affection-and-respect-for-joe-biden-i-think-he/) [David Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-axelrod/) > [I don't believe anyone that I know in the administration ever said that Iraq had nuclear weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/i-don-t-believe-anyone-that-i-know-in-the-administration-ever-said/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [What was unique about me being in City Hall during the Giuliani Administration, I was the only one who wasn't an attorney. I may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lhota/what-was-unique-about-me-being-in-city-hall-during-the-giuliani/) [Joe Lhota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lhota/) > [The Trump administration launched the cruise missile strikes in Syria, an act of war, without a U.N. resolution or Congressional authorization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-trump-administration-launched-the-cruise-missile-strikes-in-syria/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The only way I'll ever run a marathon is if I'm involved in the administration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-phillips/the-only-way-i-ll-ever-run-a-marathon-is-if-i-m-involved-in-the/) [Sally Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-phillips/) > [Obama spent the first two years of his administration practicing political unilateral disarmament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cenk-uygur/obama-spent-the-first-two-years-of-his-administration-practicing/) [Cenk Uygur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cenk-uygur/) > [The actions of the University in my case make it abundantly clear that the Administration's rhetoric about Harvard's desire to attract and retain the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-geller/the-actions-of-the-university-in-my-case-make-it-abundantly-clear/) [Margaret Geller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-geller/) > [In mid-May, the House of Representatives approved the full amount of money that the Veterans Administration said was needed for next year - plus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doc-hastings/in-mid-may-the-house-of-representatives-approved-the-full-amount-of/) [Doc Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doc-hastings/) > [In 1953, the United States played a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh. The Eisenhower administration believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/in-1953-the-united-states-played-a-significant-role-in-orchestrating/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [The administration of George W. Bush, emboldened by the Sept. 11 attacks and the backing of a Republican Congress, has sought to further extend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/the-administration-of-george-w-bush-emboldened-by-the-sept-11-attacks/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [When we criticize in Iran the actions of the government, the fundamentalists say that we and the Bush Administration are in the same camp.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirin-ebadi/when-we-criticize-in-iran-the-actions-of-the-government-the/) [Shirin Ebadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirin-ebadi/) > [We will finally complete the biometric entry-exit visa tracking system, which we need desperately. For years Congress has required biometric entry-exit visa tracking systems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-will-finally-complete-the-biometric-entry-exit-visa-tracking/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) [Browse all 1,855 Administration quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/administration/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "During the Reagan Administration, Bob Dole was present at a ceremony that included each living ex-president. Looking at a tableau of Ford, Carter and Nixon, Dole said, 'There they are: Hear No Evil, See No Evil and Evil.'", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Al Franken" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/during-the-reagan-administration-bob-dole-was-present-at-a-ceremony/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Administration" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/during-the-reagan-administration-bob-dole-was-present-at-a-ceremony/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6f/al-franken-1407_administration_during-the-reagan-administration-bob-dol_2627094.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6f/al-franken-1407_administration_during-the-reagan-administration-bob-dol_2627094.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6f/al-franken-1407_administration_during-the-reagan-administration-bob-dol_2627094.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“During the Reagan Administration, Bob Dole was present at a ceremony that included each living ex-president…” — Al Franken", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Al Franken", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "During the Reagan Administration, Bob Dole...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/during-the-reagan-administration-bob-dole-was-present-at-a-ceremony/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/during-the-reagan-administration-bob-dole-was-present-at-a-ceremony/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```