--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've known Don since he came to…" description: "\"I've known Don since he came to Washington. When he first came to work for George W. Bush, he was a different Don Rumsfeld. He was jolly, full of life,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad2/art-buchwald-8223_george-w_i-ve-known-don-since-he-came-to-washingt_2628197.png" --- # I've known Don since he came to Washington. When he first… ![“I've known Don since he came to Washington. When he first came to work for George W. Bush, he was a different Don Rumsfeld. He was jolly, full of life, and ready to go to war, but only if we could win.” quote by Art Buchwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad2/art-buchwald-8223_george-w_i-ve-known-don-since-he-came-to-washingt_2628197.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad2/art-buchwald-8223_george-w_i-ve-known-don-since-he-came-to-washingt_2628197.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad2/art-buchwald-8223_george-w_i-ve-known-don-since-he-came-to-washingt_2628197.png) > “I've known Don since he came to Washington. When he first came to work for George W. Bush, he was a different Don Rumsfeld. He was jolly, full of life, and ready to go to war, but only if we could win.” [Art Buchwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-buchwald/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects on a political figure’s change in demeanor after joining a new administration, suggesting that optimism and willingness to engage in conflict were tied to perceived chances of success. **In simple terms:** A political figure became more optimistic and war‑ready after joining a new administration. Key Takeaway Recognize how context can shift attitudes. Themes politics leadership character war optimism Mood reflective critical Type observational analytical When to use this quote - campaign strategy - policy debates - military decision making - media commentary Key Concepts public service political psychology career transition Questions to Reflect On - How does environment influence personal convictions? - Can optimism be genuine or strategic? A Different Perspective The assessment may oversimplify complex motivations behind policy positions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bush Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bush-different-2168220/) [Different Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-don-410510/) [Don Came](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/don-came-2168222/) [George w](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/george-w/) [Known Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known-don-1559910/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Ready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ready/) [Rumsfeld Jolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rumsfeld-jolly-2168221/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [Donald Trump is certainly an American original. Barack Obama, he's an American original. Where else but in America could that man become president? George…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-knowles/donald-trump-is-certainly-an-american-original-barack-obama-he-s-an/) [Michael J. Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-knowles/) > [What makes Bush different from Hitler? He commits crimes in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib prisons. With all these crimes, they still behave like bullying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-khamenei/what-makes-bush-different-from-hitler-he-commits-crimes-in-guantanamo/) [Ali Khamenei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-khamenei/) > [“Of all the people I have ever known you are the only one I don't know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-henry-hudson/of-all-the-people-i-have-ever-known-you-are-the-only-one-i-don-t-know/) [William Henry Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-henry-hudson/) > [You're not gonna be known as nothing if you don't win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wall/you-re-not-gonna-be-known-as-nothing-if-you-don-t-win/) [John Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wall/) > [I've known Don Mancini for 22 years. We're dear friends. I know his humor, I know his mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kirschner/i-ve-known-don-mancini-for-22-years-we-re-dear-friends-i-know-his/) [David Kirschner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kirschner/) > [I always try to do something different. I don't think I've made the same record over and over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norah-jones/i-always-try-to-do-something-different-i-don-t-think-i-ve-made-the/) [Norah Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norah-jones/) > [Vin Diesel and I have different approaches to life. We found a respect for one another but we were such opposite ends of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-walker/vin-diesel-and-i-have-different-approaches-to-life-we-found-a-respect/) [Paul Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-walker/) > [“There’s something different about him, and I don’t have to think hard to see it. Something about the way he takes over a room,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-a-tucker/there-s-something-different-about-him-and-i-don-t-have-to-think-hard/) [K.A. Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-a-tucker/) > [It's different, I don't sound like anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ybn-nahmir/it-s-different-i-don-t-sound-like-anyone/) [YBN Nahmir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ybn-nahmir/) > [I like that I am different, we don't need to be the same, because that wouldn't be Original and that is my name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-munton/i-like-that-i-am-different-we-don-t-need-to-be-the-same-because-that/) [Simone Munton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-munton/) > [Every time Jimmy Scott sings, it's the same but slightly different. I don't know how he does that or where he gets that from.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/every-time-jimmy-scott-sings-it-s-the-same-but-slightly-different-i/) [Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) > [I know I'm different and I don't fit in to any kind of generic mould.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zawe-ashton/i-know-i-m-different-and-i-don-t-fit-in-to-any-kind-of-generic-mould/) [Zawe Ashton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zawe-ashton/) > [“We all have the right to be different, don't we?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-curtis-klause/we-all-have-the-right-to-be-different-don-t-we/) [Annette Curtis Klause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-curtis-klause/) > [We all feel at some point of our lives that we're different, that we don't fit in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-sharp/we-all-feel-at-some-point-of-our-lives-that-we-re-different-that-we/) [Alex Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-sharp/) > [I know I'm different, but I don't think about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-simone/i-know-i-m-different-but-i-don-t-think-about-it/) [Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/) ## More by Art Buchwald > [The things that matter most are not things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-buchwald/the-things-that-matter-most-are-not-things/) [Art Buchwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-buchwald/) > [Every time you think television has hit its lowest ebb, a new program comes along to make you wonder where you thought the ebb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-buchwald/every-time-you-think-television-has-hit-its-lowest-ebb-a-new-program/) [Art Buchwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-buchwald/) > [I found out I'd spent my whole life believing things that weren't necessarily accurate. My sisters' memories of certain events are entirely different from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-buchwald/i-found-out-i-d-spent-my-whole-life-believing-things-that-weren-t/) [Art Buchwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-buchwald/) > [As the economy gets better, everything else gets worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-buchwald/as-the-economy-gets-better-everything-else-gets-worse/) [Art Buchwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-buchwald/) > [I can now say without hesitation the Marine Corps was the best foster home I ever had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-buchwald/i-can-now-say-without-hesitation-the-marine-corps-was-the-best-foster/) [Art Buchwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-buchwald/) > [Writers are funny about reviews: when they get a good one they ignore it-- but when they get a bad review they never forget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-buchwald/writers-are-funny-about-reviews-when-they-get-a-good-one-they-ignore/) [Art Buchwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-buchwald/) > [Television has a real problem. They have no page two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-buchwald/television-has-a-real-problem-they-have-no-page-two/) [Art Buchwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-buchwald/) > [No one ever mentioned it, but thousands of men welcomed World War II as a way to escape their humdrum lives rather than a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-buchwald/no-one-ever-mentioned-it-but-thousands-of-men-welcomed-world-war-ii/) [Art Buchwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-buchwald/) > [Don't commit suicide, because you might change your mind two weeks later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-buchwald/don-t-commit-suicide-because-you-might-change-your-mind-two-weeks/) [Art Buchwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-buchwald/) > [When it came to writing about wine, I did what almost everybody does - faked it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-buchwald/when-it-came-to-writing-about-wine-i-did-what-almost-everybody-does/) [Art Buchwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-buchwald/) > [I learned quickly that when I made others laugh, they liked me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-buchwald/i-learned-quickly-that-when-i-made-others-laugh-they-liked-me/) [Art Buchwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-buchwald/) > [An economist is a man who knows a hundred ways of making love but doesn't know any women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-buchwald/an-economist-is-a-man-who-knows-a-hundred-ways-of-making-love-but/) [Art Buchwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-buchwald/) > [Every once in a while your world stands still... There are certain friendships that are so important they leave a mark on you long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-buchwald/every-once-in-a-while-your-world-stands-still-there-are-certain/) [Art Buchwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-buchwald/) > [I just don't want to die the same day Castro dies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-buchwald/i-just-don-t-want-to-die-the-same-day-castro-dies/) [Art Buchwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-buchwald/) > [The best way to clean up a son's room is to close the door and pretend it's not part of the house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-buchwald/the-best-way-to-clean-up-a-son-s-room-is-to-close-the-door-and/) [Art Buchwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-buchwald/) [Explore all 83 Art Buchwald quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-buchwald/) ## More George w quotes > [“Does it work with sandwiches? he asked. I didn't move. He handed it over. George was watching with a kind of neutral curiosity, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-bender/does-it-work-with-sandwiches-he-asked-i-didn-t-move-he-handed-it-over/) [Aimee Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-bender/) > [The GOP is broken. They need a Bill Clinton moment with someone to figure things out. Let me just say - and I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahm-emanuel/the-gop-is-broken-they-need-a-bill-clinton-moment-with-someone-to/) [Rahm Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahm-emanuel/) > [We're in more wars today under Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton than under George W. Bush or Ronald Reagan. Yet they tell you that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/we-re-in-more-wars-today-under-barack-obama-and-hillary-clinton-than/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [George Winston piano albums have been my go-to since junior high.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sacca/george-winston-piano-albums-have-been-my-go-to-since-junior-high/) [Chris Sacca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sacca/) > [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/) > [“Doctor Parcival began to plead with George Willard. 'You must pay attention to me,' he urged. 'If something happens you will be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwood-anderson/doctor-parcival-began-to-plead-with-george-willard-you-must-pay/) [Sherwood Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwood-anderson/) > [We're half an hour from Toronto, which offers everything you could want from a city, and a couple of hours from beautiful vacation country.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linwood-barclay/we-re-half-an-hour-from-toronto-which-offers-everything-you-could/) [Linwood Barclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linwood-barclay/) > [The president of the United States of North America, George W. Bush, the little gentleman of the North, the political cadaver that is visiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-chavez/the-president-of-the-united-states-of-north-america-george-w-bush-the/) [Hugo Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-chavez/) > [I remember when President Bush, George W. 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