--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The president, apparently, was so totally…" description: "\"The president, apparently, was so totally unaware of where his foreign policy was that he had to appoint a distinguished commission to help him locate ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d47/dave-barry-222_comfort_the-president-apparently-was-so-totally_2531863.jpg" --- # The president, apparently, was so totally unaware of where… ![“The president, apparently, was so totally unaware of where his foreign policy was that he had to appoint a distinguished commission to help him locate it, and when the commissioners called him in to testify, he told them, essentially, that he couldn't remember what it looked like. Now, if Richard…” quote by Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d47/dave-barry-222_comfort_the-president-apparently-was-so-totally_2531863.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d47/dave-barry-222_comfort_the-president-apparently-was-so-totally_2531863.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d47/dave-barry-222_comfort_the-president-apparently-was-so-totally_2531863.jpg) > “The president, apparently, was so totally unaware of where his foreign policy was that he had to appoint a distinguished commission to help him locate it, and when the commissioners called him in to testify, he told them, essentially, that he couldn't remember what it looked like. Now, if Richard Nixon had claimed something like that you would at least have had the comfort of knowing he was lying. You could trust Nixon that way. But with this president, you have this nagging feeling that he's telling the truth.” [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The president’s ignorance of foreign policy is highlighted humorously, contrasting with past presidents who were at least knowingly deceptive. **In simple terms:** President is clueless about policy. Key Takeaway Question the competence of leaders. Themes politics leadership humor accountability media Mood sarcastic critical Type political satirical When to use this quote - news analysis - public debates - election cycles Key Concepts Satire political critique public trust Questions to Reflect On - What evidence shows the president’s ignorance? - How does satire affect public perception? A Different Perspective Humor may downplay serious governance failures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comfort/) [Commissioners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commissioners/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Foreign policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreign-policy/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Reaganomics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reaganomics/) [Telling the truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-the-truth/) ## Related quotes > [“The Numbers         Value of the property that Nixon claimed in 1972 was stolen each year by heroin addicts: $2 billion                    . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/the-numbers-value-of-the-property-that-nixon-claimed-in-1972-was/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [“Its unfortunate that the close minded will never free themselves of knowing. 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In fact he just made a tour of 43 states just to tell them he's not running for anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hope/the-governor-has-no-presidential-aspirations-in-fact-he-just-made-a/) [Bob Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hope/) > [ This is a guy \[Steven Lerner\] who believes, for example, that Reaganomics or trickle-down economics means, "The rich got rich by stealing from the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/this-is-a-guy-steven-lerner-who-believes-for-example-that-reaganomics/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Black Friday, in reality, is a symptom of the plight that 30 years of Reaganomics has brought to working people in America. Right along…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-hartmann/black-friday-in-reality-is-a-symptom-of-the-plight-that-30-years-of/) [Thom Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-hartmann/) > [Ronald Reagan came from show business. His idea of how the government should help the homeless was like your agent. "We'll try to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/ronald-reagan-came-from-show-business-his-idea-of-how-the-government/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) ## More by Dave Barry > [This is true; virtually all edible substances, and many automotive products, are now marketed as being low-fat or fat-free. Americans are obsessed with fat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/this-is-true-virtually-all-edible-substances-and-many-automotive/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [This ball was so crowded that it took me - a trained professional journalist with vast experience in this area - forty five minutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/this-ball-was-so-crowded-that-it-took-me-a-trained-professional/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [The hardest thing about being a guy is that women don't accept that you really are just a simple, pathetic, labrador retriever-like creature. 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Scott Fitzgerald, you'll notice two things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/if-you-look-at-any-list-of-great-modern-writers-such-as-ernest/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [Don't you wish you had a job like mine? All you have to do is think up a certain number of words! Plus, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/don-t-you-wish-you-had-a-job-like-mine-all-you-have-to-do-is-think-up/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [“Despite the gulf, physical and cultural, between the United States and Japan, both societies are, in the end, made up of people, and people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/despite-the-gulf-physical-and-cultural-between-the-united-states-and/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [Before going on a diet you should consult your doctor, or at least send him some money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/before-going-on-a-diet-you-should-consult-your-doctor-or-at-least/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [Never trust anything you read in a travel article.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/never-trust-anything-you-read-in-a-travel-article/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it "Christmas" and went to church; the Jews called it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/in-the-old-days-it-was-not-called-the-holiday-season-the-christians/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [Always remember that if editors were so damned smart, they would know how to dress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/always-remember-that-if-editors-were-so-damned-smart-they-would-know/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) [Explore all 867 Dave Barry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) ## More Comfort quotes > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. There's no surety in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-savage/don-t-take-too-much-comfort-in-the-fact-that-you-re-successful-today/) [Michael Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-savage/) > [For many, the call to be a Christian can seem demanding, even overwhelming. But we need not be afraid or feel inadequate. The Savior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-hales/for-many-the-call-to-be-a-christian-can-seem-demanding-even/) [Robert D. Hales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-hales/) > [This is no time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/this-is-no-time-for-ease-and-comfort-it-is-time-to-dare-and-endure/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“When you get lost in a really strange place, nothing is more comforting than found your friend whom you trust and can show the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-get-lost-in-a-really-strange-place-nothing-is-more/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [Comfort food is really anything you want at that time. That said, I really love Naple-style pizza.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-zakarian/comfort-food-is-really-anything-you-want-at-that-time-that-said-i/) [Geoffrey Zakarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-zakarian/) > [I actually like getting out of my comfort zone. It shakes me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/i-actually-like-getting-out-of-my-comfort-zone-it-shakes-me-up/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [A time will come when the science of destruction shall bend before the arts of peace; when the genius which multiplies our powers, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-arago/a-time-will-come-when-the-science-of-destruction-shall-bend-before/) [Francois Arago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-arago/) > [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/) [Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/) > [Worship is not about personality, temperament, personal limitations, church background, or comfort. 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