---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think George Bush is a good…"
description: "\"I don't think George Bush is a good president by any imagination, but when he said, 'If you're talking to Al-Quaeda, we want to know what it's about,' ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/945/bill-maher-211_als_i-don-t-think-george-bush-is-a-good-pres_932969.png"
---

#  I don't think George Bush is a good president by any…

![“I don't think George Bush is a good president by any imagination, but when he said, 'If you're talking to Al-Quaeda, we want to know what it's about,' it just proves one thing: If you're president long enough, you will one day say something that is true.” quote by Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/945/bill-maher-211_als_i-don-t-think-george-bush-is-a-good-pres_932969.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/945/bill-maher-211_als_i-don-t-think-george-bush-is-a-good-pres_932969.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/945/bill-maher-211_als_i-don-t-think-george-bush-is-a-good-pres_932969.png)

> “I don't think George Bush is a good president by any imagination, but when he said, 'If you're talking to Al-Quaeda, we want to know what it's about,' it just proves one thing: If you're president long enough, you will one day say something that is true.”

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Political leaders may occasionally utter truths, but that does not redeem overall performance.

**In simple terms:** Even a bad president can say something true sometimes.

Key Takeaway

Judge leaders on overall record, not isolated truths.

Themes

politics leadership truth accountability media criticism

Mood

critical skeptical

Type

political commentary

When to use this quote

- news analysis
- debate forums
- civic education
- policy reviews
- public opinion polls

Key Concepts

political rhetoric public trust leadership evaluation

Questions to Reflect On

- How should we assess a leader’s legacy?
- Can occasional truth mitigate overall poor governance?

A Different Perspective

Isolated truth does not excuse broader failures.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [The one thing I'm convinced George W. Bush is good at is bipartisanship. It's clearly something he enjoys personally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-carlson/the-one-thing-i-m-convinced-george-w-bush-is-good-at-is/)

[Tucker Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-carlson/)

> [George W. Bush was good as his word. He visited the Gulf states 17 times; went 13 times to New Orleans. Laura Bush made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-brazile/george-w-bush-was-good-as-his-word-he-visited-the-gulf-states-17/)

[Donna Brazile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-brazile/)

> [Do you think George Bush actually knows who Gordon Brown is? He probably just thinks Tony Blair's put on weight and had a mild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-boyle/do-you-think-george-bush-actually-knows-who-gordon-brown-is-he/)

[Frankie Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-boyle/)

> [Some might think that George W. Bush had his shortcomings, but let me tell you something - history's going to be kind to George…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-watts/some-might-think-that-george-w-bush-had-his-shortcomings-but-let-me/)

[J. C. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-watts/)

> [ I think \[George W.\] Bush has done nothing right about global warming. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/i-think-george-w-bush-has-done-nothing-right-about-global-warming/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

> [Jeb Bush is very good on immigration, he's very good on education. He's a smart guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bloomberg/jeb-bush-is-very-good-on-immigration-he-s-very-good-on-education-he-s/)

[Michael Bloomberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bloomberg/)

> [Bush is good at stating the obviously untrue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clift/bush-is-good-at-stating-the-obviously-untrue/)

[Eleanor Clift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clift/)

> [Remember that sign they hung up in an EPA office during the Reagan administration, "No good deed goes unpunished"? Under George Bush, no good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-helvarg/remember-that-sign-they-hung-up-in-an-epa-office-during-the-reagan/)

David Helvarg

> [In the 2000 election, George W. Bush, who had shirked military service, succeeded in presenting himself as more reliable on national security than Al Gore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-power/in-the-2000-election-george-w-bush-who-had-shirked-military-service/)

[Samantha Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-power/)

> [I love George Clooney; I think George is brilliant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brosnan/i-love-george-clooney-i-think-george-is-brilliant/)

[Pierce Brosnan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brosnan/)

> [I think George Mitchell was the right guy for the right time, and many people will note his spectacular foreign policy accomplishments, both in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mikulski/i-think-george-mitchell-was-the-right-guy-for-the-right-time-and-many/)

[Barbara Mikulski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mikulski/)

> [ I know a lot of people who read and think: "George \[Saunders\] is so much fun." There's no denying you're fun to read, but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/i-know-a-lot-of-people-who-read-and-think-george-saunders-is-so-much/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [Most people think that George Nelson, Charles Eames and Eliot Noyes invented industrial design. That is, of course, an exaggeration. George did it without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-n-lacy/most-people-think-that-george-nelson-charles-eames-and-eliot-noyes/)

Bill N. Lacy

> [I think George just nailed the whole thing, the whole time period, the whole look and feel of what that newsroom was like. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-strathairn/i-think-george-just-nailed-the-whole-thing-the-whole-time-period-the/)

[David Strathairn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-strathairn/)

> [ I've often thought about that and the only suitable member to join me on that climb \[to Everest\] was George Lowe: he was strong,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-hillary/i-ve-often-thought-about-that-and-the-only-suitable-member-to-join-me/)

[Edmund Hillary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-hillary/)

## More by Bill Maher

> [A lot of people say they are dyslexic; some have to realize that they are just stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/a-lot-of-people-say-they-are-dyslexic-some-have-to-realize-that-they/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

> [I saw this anti-drug commercial that showed a kid smoking pot in his dad's room with his friend. This kid finds a gun, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-saw-this-anti-drug-commercial-that-showed-a-kid-smoking-pot-in-his/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

> [To all conservative women out there: If you are so sure the embryo needed for stem cell research are precious human life that can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/to-all-conservative-women-out-there-if-you-are-so-sure-the-embryo/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

> [Curious people are intersting people, I wonder why that is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/curious-people-are-intersting-people-i-wonder-why-that-is/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

> [You see, the difference is the Republicans' hatred of Obama is based on a paranoid feeling about what he might do, what he's thinking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/you-see-the-difference-is-the-republicans-hatred-of-obama-is-based-on/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

> [The food is out of this world!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/the-food-is-out-of-this-world/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

> [New Rule: There is no devil, so stop blaming your screw-ups on him. Last week, one of the biggest evangelical leaders in America, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/new-rule-there-is-no-devil-so-stop-blaming-your-screw-ups-on-him-last/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

> [If we were a dog and God owned us, the cops would come and take us away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/if-we-were-a-dog-and-god-owned-us-the-cops-would-come-and-take-us-away/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

> [“New Rule: The White House doesn't have to release the dead Bin Laden photos, but don't pretend we can't take it. We've seen pictures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/new-rule-the-white-house-doesn-t-have-to-release-the-dead-bin-laden/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

> [I think religion is bad and drugs are good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-think-religion-is-bad-and-drugs-are-good/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

> [I don't hate America. I love America. I want it to be better. The only way we can get it to be better is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-don-t-hate-america-i-love-america-i-want-it-to-be-better-the-only/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

> [“New Rule: Americans must realize what makes NFL football so great: socialism. That's right, the NFL takes money from the rich teams and gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/new-rule-americans-must-realize-what-makes-nfl-football-so-great/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

> [So many kids are fat drug addicts these days, it's almost as if Rush Limbaugh had puppies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/so-many-kids-are-fat-drug-addicts-these-days-it-s-almost-as-if-rush/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

> [What we don't know is about Jeb Bush and cocaine. But we do know that he did once had his brother Florida on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/what-we-don-t-know-is-about-jeb-bush-and-cocaine-but-we-do-know-that/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

> [“I find that the world is changing much, much faster than I can even bitch about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-find-that-the-world-is-changing-much-much-faster-than-i-can-even/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

[Explore all 897 Bill Maher quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

## More Als quotes

> [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/)

[Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/)

> [You can't ignore reality. You won't wake up one morning and find that the Arabs of Umm al-Faham have become part of Palestine and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ami-ayalon/you-can-t-ignore-reality-you-won-t-wake-up-one-morning-and-find-that/)

[Ami Ayalon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ami-ayalon/)

> [Without a vision there is no possibility of creating something larger than what al-ready exists. An entrepreneur has to be able to bring something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/without-a-vision-there-is-no-possibility-of-creating-something-larger/)

[Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/)

> ['Constitutional' is just a real pip of a word. Positively rolls off the tongue. In fact, it's downright fun to say. 'Con-stit-too-shun-al.' It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/constitutional-is-just-a-real-pip-of-a-word-positively-rolls-off-the/)

[Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/)

> [Everybody who I ever cared about has told me that they like my music: Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Al Green, The Spinners, Smokey Robinson.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-hall/everybody-who-i-ever-cared-about-has-told-me-that-they-like-my-music/)

[Daryl Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-hall/)

> [Paraphrased: The way of al-Junayd includes among other things abstaining constantly from resisting God Most High in whatever happens to one, whether good or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-ata-allah/paraphrased-the-way-of-al-junayd-includes-among-other-things/)

[Ibn Ata Allah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-ata-allah/)

> [For Al Gore and Paul Ehrlich and Co., whatever the problem, the solution is always the same. Whether it's global cooling, global warming, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/for-al-gore-and-paul-ehrlich-and-co-whatever-the-problem-the-solution/)

[Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/)

> [Barack Obama became president, and he abandoned Iraq. He left, and when he left Al Qaida was done for. ISIS was created because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/barack-obama-became-president-and-he-abandoned-iraq-he-left-and-when/)

[Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/)

> [USC is the National Champion like Al Gore is the President of the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-emmert/usc-is-the-national-champion-like-al-gore-is-the-president-of-the/)

[Mark Emmert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-emmert/)

> [Critics have stepped up their attacks on the President for authorizing the National Security Agency to listen to international communications of known al Qaeda…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-mcclellan/critics-have-stepped-up-their-attacks-on-the-president-for/)

[Scott McClellan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-mcclellan/)

> [ The heart becomes sick, as the body becomes sick, and its remedy is al-Tawbah (repentance) and protection \[from transgression\]. It becomes rusty as a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-qayyim-al-jawziyya/the-heart-becomes-sick-as-the-body-becomes-sick-and-its-remedy-is-al/)

[Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-qayyim-al-jawziyya/)

> [Bin Laden was, though, a product of a monumental miscalculation by western security agencies. Throughout the 80s he was armed by the CIA and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-cook/bin-laden-was-though-a-product-of-a-monumental-miscalculation-by/)

[Robin Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-cook/)

> [ This war \[in Syria\] is going to support Al-Qaeda and the same people that killed Americans in the 11th of September. The second thing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bashar-al-assad/this-war-in-syria-is-going-to-support-al-qaeda-and-the-same-people/)

[Bashar al-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bashar-al-assad/)

> [Courageous? Courageous would have been admitting weakness and leaving Dauntless, no matter what shame accompanied it. Pride is what killed Al, and it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/courageous-courageous-would-have-been-admitting-weakness-and-leaving/)

[Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/)

> [And I, the former mystic, was thinking: Yes, man is stronger, greater than God. When Adam and Eve deceived You, You chased them from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/and-i-the-former-mystic-was-thinking-yes-man-is-stronger-greater-than/)

[Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/)

Browse all 894 Als quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I don't think George Bush is a good president by any imagination, but when he said, 'If you're talking to Al-Quaeda, we want to know what it's about,' it just proves one thing: If you're president long enough, you will one day say something that is true.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bill Maher"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-don-t-think-george-bush-is-a-good-president-by-any-imagination-but/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Als"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-don-t-think-george-bush-is-a-good-president-by-any-imagination-but/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/945/bill-maher-211_als_i-don-t-think-george-bush-is-a-good-pres_932969.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/945/bill-maher-211_als_i-don-t-think-george-bush-is-a-good-pres_932969.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/945/bill-maher-211_als_i-don-t-think-george-bush-is-a-good-pres_932969.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I don't think George Bush is a good president by any imagination, but when he said, 'If you're talking to…” — Bill Maher",
                "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": "Bill Maher",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I don't think George Bush is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-don-t-think-george-bush-is-a-good-president-by-any-imagination-but/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-don-t-think-george-bush-is-a-good-president-by-any-imagination-but/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
