--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: George W. Bush is not only a great…" description: "\"George W. Bush is not only a great president; he was a great candidate.\" — Ed Gillespie" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cd/ed-gillespie-18531_george-w_george-w-bush-is-not-only-a-great-presid_1916944.jpg" --- # George W. Bush is not only a great president; he was a… ![“George W. Bush is not only a great president; he was a great candidate.” quote by Ed Gillespie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cd/ed-gillespie-18531_george-w_george-w-bush-is-not-only-a-great-presid_1916944.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cd/ed-gillespie-18531_george-w_george-w-bush-is-not-only-a-great-presid_1916944.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cd/ed-gillespie-18531_george-w_george-w-bush-is-not-only-a-great-presid_1916944.jpg) > “George W. Bush is not only a great president; he was a great candidate.” [Ed Gillespie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-gillespie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Bush excelled both as a candidate and as a president. **In simple terms:** He succeeded in both roles. Key Takeaway Acknowledge effective leadership in multiple capacities. Themes leadership politics success Mood analytical neutral Type historical political When to use this quote - political analysis - career retrospectives - public speaking - historical study Key Concepts campaign strategy governance Questions to Reflect On - What defines a great president? - How does candidacy differ from governance? A Different Perspective Critics may dispute his presidency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bush Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bush-great-1292515/) [George bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/george-bush/) [George w](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/george-w/) [Great Candidate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-candidate-2920829/) [Great President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-president-410901/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [President Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president-great-635013/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) ## Related quotes > [Mr. Lincoln was not only a great President, but a great man - too great to be small in anything. In his company I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/mr-lincoln-was-not-only-a-great-president-but-a-great-man-too-great/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [The U.S.S. George H. W. Bush is a great thing in my life. It's amazing. A great honor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-w-bush/the-u-s-s-george-h-w-bush-is-a-great-thing-in-my-life-it-s-amazing-a/) [George H. W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-w-bush/) > [George W. Bush was great on the belief that America was the solution to the world's problems, not the problem, and was a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/george-w-bush-was-great-on-the-belief-that-america-was-the-solution/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [ Marco \[Rubio\] is a gifted politician. He is incredibly gifted. And he needs to be able to do his job. He's going to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/marco-rubio-is-a-gifted-politician-he-is-incredibly-gifted-and-he/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [Thrilled that Gov. Romney enjoys my old character. I enjoyed the character he used 2 b 2. If he'd embrace that again, he'd b…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-alexander/thrilled-that-gov-romney-enjoys-my-old-character-i-enjoyed-the/) [Jason Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-alexander/) > [I'm always amazed when I hear people saying, "That George Bush, he's a great leader". And I wonder, where can one find a drug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/i-m-always-amazed-when-i-hear-people-saying-that-george-bush-he-s-a/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) > [I think I'd make a pretty good president, and they have a great pension plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-paulsen/i-think-i-d-make-a-pretty-good-president-and-they-have-a-great/) [Pat Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-paulsen/) > [I expect it is very possible that I would make as good a President as a great many men who are talked of for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-harding/i-expect-it-is-very-possible-that-i-would-make-as-good-a-president-as/) [Warren G. Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-harding/) > [Of course, being the synagogue president, for me it was a great blessing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacky-rosen/of-course-being-the-synagogue-president-for-me-it-was-a-great-blessing/) [Jacky Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacky-rosen/) > [A President has a great chance; his position is almost that of a king and a prime minister rolled into one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/a-president-has-a-great-chance-his-position-is-almost-that-of-a-king-2/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Not every President is a great speaker. Not every President is a great thinker. But in the modern era, every single President is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-meltzer/not-every-president-is-a-great-speaker-not-every-president-is-a-great/) [Brad Meltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-meltzer/) > [I have often thought that less is expected of the president of a great corporation than of an American wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/i-have-often-thought-that-less-is-expected-of-the-president-of-a/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [That is why every president since the Great Depression who came before the American people asking for a second term could look back at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/that-is-why-every-president-since-the-great-depression-who-came/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [A President has a great chance; his position is almost that of a king and a prime minister rolled into one. Once he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/a-president-has-a-great-chance-his-position-is-almost-that-of-a-king/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [The office of President is a great one; to every true American it seems the greatest on earth. And to me, as I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-philip-sousa/the-office-of-president-is-a-great-one-to-every-true-american-it/) [John Philip Sousa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-philip-sousa/) ## More by Ed Gillespie > [Well, my wife, Cathy Gillespie, worked for Joe Barton, who was running for Congress in 1984.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-gillespie/well-my-wife-cathy-gillespie-worked-for-joe-barton-who-was-running/) [Ed Gillespie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-gillespie/) > [Frankly, I thought we would have lost the House by now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-gillespie/frankly-i-thought-we-would-have-lost-the-house-by-now/) [Ed Gillespie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-gillespie/) > [I think one of the problems the Democrats have today is that they are an elitist party.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-gillespie/i-think-one-of-the-problems-the-democrats-have-today-is-that-they-are/) [Ed Gillespie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-gillespie/) > [Even as a partisan Republican, I'm not sure a 40-year run is healthy for either party.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-gillespie/even-as-a-partisan-republican-i-m-not-sure-a-40-year-run-is-healthy/) [Ed Gillespie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-gillespie/) > [I don't think we're as divided as many in the elite would have us believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-gillespie/i-don-t-think-we-re-as-divided-as-many-in-the-elite-would-have-us/) [Ed Gillespie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-gillespie/) > [One is that President Clinton, in his first two years of his term, did not govern as he had campaigned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-gillespie/one-is-that-president-clinton-in-his-first-two-years-of-his-term-did/) [Ed Gillespie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-gillespie/) > [We are seeing at the Republican National Committee a phenomenon that is worth noting this week; maybe today, maybe tomorrow, maybe Wednesday, we will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-gillespie/we-are-seeing-at-the-republican-national-committee-a-phenomenon-that/) [Ed Gillespie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-gillespie/) > [I don't want to be disrespectful of the president of the United States, but as a political person, one of the things I appreciated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-gillespie/i-don-t-want-to-be-disrespectful-of-the-president-of-the-united/) [Ed Gillespie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-gillespie/) > [I don't believe we're the party of big business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-gillespie/i-don-t-believe-we-re-the-party-of-big-business/) [Ed Gillespie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-gillespie/) > [They do believe that if we do not wage this war against terror in places like Baghdad and Kabul, we are more likely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-gillespie/they-do-believe-that-if-we-do-not-wage-this-war-against-terror-in/) [Ed Gillespie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-gillespie/) > [So I think that our foreign policy, the president's strong and principled leadership when it comes to the war against terror and foreign policy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-gillespie/so-i-think-that-our-foreign-policy-the-president-s-strong-and/) [Ed Gillespie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-gillespie/) > [We are in favor of greater free markets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-gillespie/we-are-in-favor-of-greater-free-markets/) [Ed Gillespie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-gillespie/) > [And so it was interesting for me to find myself very enamored of a Republican president, but Ronald Reagan was someone I thought captured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-gillespie/and-so-it-was-interesting-for-me-to-find-myself-very-enamored-of-a/) [Ed Gillespie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-gillespie/) > [The fact is that we as a party at the Republican National Committee registered 3.4 million new voters in the past two years and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-gillespie/the-fact-is-that-we-as-a-party-at-the-republican-national-committee/) [Ed Gillespie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-gillespie/) > [People like passion in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-gillespie/people-like-passion-in-politics/) [Ed Gillespie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-gillespie/) [Explore all 34 Ed Gillespie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-gillespie/) ## More George bush quotes > [This country was the moral leader of the world until George Bush became president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-dean/this-country-was-the-moral-leader-of-the-world-until-george-bush/) [Howard Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-dean/) > [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/) > [George W. Bush did an incredible job in the presidency, defending us from freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perry/george-w-bush-did-an-incredible-job-in-the-presidency-defending-us/) [Rick Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perry/) > [I'm not tempted to write a song about George W. Bush. I couldn't figure out what sort of song I would write. That's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-m-not-tempted-to-write-a-song-about-george-w-bush-i-couldn-t-figure/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [It's hard to believe President George Bush gave a speech in New Orleans about disaster recovery and failed to mention the word 'farm' or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-hightower/it-s-hard-to-believe-president-george-bush-gave-a-speech-in-new/) [Jim Hightower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-hightower/) > [You know, when George Bush talks about freedom not being America's gift to world but God's gift to all humankind, it smells like market…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-klein/you-know-when-george-bush-talks-about-freedom-not-being-america-s/) [Joe Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-klein/) > [It's kind of an unwritten law, I think, being - carrying the name - George Bush. At times I ask myself, 'Am I going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-p-bush/it-s-kind-of-an-unwritten-law-i-think-being-carrying-the-name-george/) [George P. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-p-bush/) > [When I finished graduate school, the first George Bush was president, and I really wanted to get out of the country. We'd just gone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-king/when-i-finished-graduate-school-the-first-george-bush-was-president/) [Lily King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-king/) > [We've had parallel lives. And frankly, I prefer mine to his. I would not like to be George Bush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/we-ve-had-parallel-lives-and-frankly-i-prefer-mine-to-his-i-would-not/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [That's what I like to call him, "the current president." I find it difficult to say or type his name, George W. Bush. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/that-s-what-i-like-to-call-him-the-current-president-i-find-it/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [George W. Bush and his administration embarked on a full-scale assault on civil liberties, human rights and the rule of law, walking away from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bianca-jagger/george-w-bush-and-his-administration-embarked-on-a-full-scale-assault/) [Bianca Jagger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bianca-jagger/) > [George Bush has become something of an embarrassment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-snow/george-bush-has-become-something-of-an-embarrassment/) [Tony Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-snow/) > [President George H.W. Bush was a friend to so many of us and his loss will undoubtedly be felt deeply across the Granite State.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sununu/president-george-h-w-bush-was-a-friend-to-so-many-of-us-and-his-loss/) [Chris Sununu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sununu/) > [I think George W. Bush has a warm, engaging personality. But, you know, the presidency is more than just a popularity contest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/i-think-george-w-bush-has-a-warm-engaging-personality-but-you-know/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [The BBC will always be attacked by whoever is in government. It is that George Bush thing of 'If you're not with us you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-norton/the-bbc-will-always-be-attacked-by-whoever-is-in-government-it-is/) [Graham Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-norton/) [Browse all 338 George bush quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/george-bush/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "George W. 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