---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's no surprise that the Bush…"
description: "\"It's no surprise that the Bush administration's bullying swagger and blithe ignorance have caused much of the Muslim world to hold the U.S. in rock-bot..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/902/graydon-carter-6607_administration_it-s-no-surprise-that-the-bush-administr_3014003.png"
---

#  It's no surprise that the Bush administration's bullying…

![“It's no surprise that the Bush administration's bullying swagger and blithe ignorance have caused much of the Muslim world to hold the U.S. in rock-bottom regard.” quote by Graydon Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/902/graydon-carter-6607_administration_it-s-no-surprise-that-the-bush-administr_3014003.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/902/graydon-carter-6607_administration_it-s-no-surprise-that-the-bush-administr_3014003.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/902/graydon-carter-6607_administration_it-s-no-surprise-that-the-bush-administr_3014003.png)

> “It's no surprise that the Bush administration's bullying swagger and blithe ignorance have caused much of the Muslim world to hold the U.S. in rock-bottom regard.”

[Graydon Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graydon-carter/)

## About This Quote

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

The Bush administration's aggressive and ignorant behavior caused the Muslim world to view the U.S. very negatively.

**In simple terms:** Aggressive US policy hurt Muslim perception.

Key Takeaway

Promote humility and cultural respect in diplomacy.

Themes

diplomacy perception culture

Mood

critical reflective

Type

analytical political

When to use this quote

- foreign policy
- media communication
- interfaith dialogue

Key Concepts

international relations political science

Questions to Reflect On

- How can trust be rebuilt?
- What actions demonstrate respect?

A Different Perspective

Blame may oversimplify complex geopolitics.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Administration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/administration/) [Blithe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blithe/) [Bullying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bullying/) [Bush administration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bush-administration/) [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [Islam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [Muslim world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muslim-world/) [Rocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rocks/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) [Swagger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swagger/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [“Ignorance was the enemy. Lies and superstition, misinformation, disinformation. Sometimes, no information at all. Ignorance killed billions of people. Ignorance caused the Zombie War.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-brooks/ignorance-was-the-enemy-lies-and-superstition-misinformation/)

[Max Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-brooks/)

> [In 2004, I wrote 'What We've Lost,' a book about the Bush administration. It sold only reasonably well, in part, I think, because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/in-2004-i-wrote-what-we-ve-lost-a-book-about-the-bush-administration/)

[Graydon Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graydon-carter/)

> [In less than a year, the Bush administration will strut out of office, leaving the country in roughly the same condition a toddler leaves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/in-less-than-a-year-the-bush-administration-will-strut-out-of-office/)

[Graydon Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graydon-carter/)

> [The poet is blithe and cheery ever, and as well as nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-poet-is-blithe-and-cheery-ever-and-as-well-as-nature/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [For in the theoretical field bourgeois economics no longer engages in blithe and joyous fights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-hilferding/for-in-the-theoretical-field-bourgeois-economics-no-longer-engages-in/)

Rudolf Hilferding

> [In the downhill of life, when I find I'm declining, May my lot no less fortunate be Than a snug elbow-chair can afford for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-churton-collins/in-the-downhill-of-life-when-i-find-i-m-declining-may-my-lot-no-less/)

[John Churton Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-churton-collins/)

> [Tad Homer-Dixon is a rare kind of public intellectual, who combines real expertise with a commitment to communicate to the widest possible readership. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/tad-homer-dixon-is-a-rare-kind-of-public-intellectual-who-combines/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [As I walked in the woods I felt what I often feel that nothing can befall me in life, no calamity, no disgrace (leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/as-i-walked-in-the-woods-i-felt-what-i-often-feel-that-nothing-can/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [“Some people wish they were as happy as or happy like some people think they are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/some-people-wish-they-were-as-happy-as-or-happy-like-some-people/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [A human being tends to believe that the mood of the moment, be it troubled or blithe, peaceful or stormy, is the true, native,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-e-mann/a-human-being-tends-to-believe-that-the-mood-of-the-moment-be-it/)

[Thomas E. Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-e-mann/)

> [O' who will walk with me along lifes merry way? A comrade blithe and full of glee, who dares to laugh out loud and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/o-who-will-walk-with-me-along-lifes-merry-way-a-comrade-blithe-and/)

[Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/)

> [The bosom can ache beneath diamond brooches; and many a blithe heart dances under coarse wool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/the-bosom-can-ache-beneath-diamond-brooches-and-many-a-blithe-heart/)

[Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/)

> [I dwell no more in Arcady, But when the sky is blue with May, And birds are blithe and winds are free, I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-chandler-moulton/i-dwell-no-more-in-arcady-but-when-the-sky-is-blue-with-may-and-birds/)

Louise Chandler Moulton

> [Sigh no more ladies, sigh no more, men were deceivers ever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/sigh-no-more-ladies-sigh-no-more-men-were-deceivers-ever/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Hail to thee, blithe Spirit!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/hail-to-thee-blithe-spirit/)

[Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/)

## More by Graydon Carter

> [As someone who came to New York in the 1970s, I was, like so many of my friends, a certified member of what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/as-someone-who-came-to-new-york-in-the-1970s-i-was-like-so-many-of-my/)

[Graydon Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graydon-carter/)

> [Fashion is a dangerous road to go down. Anybody who is going to have children later in life had best not be too fashionable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/fashion-is-a-dangerous-road-to-go-down-anybody-who-is-going-to-have/)

[Graydon Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graydon-carter/)

> [There aren't any looks or customs I wish would come back. Today almost anything goes. Culture constantly devours the past so there's not much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/there-aren-t-any-looks-or-customs-i-wish-would-come-back-today-almost/)

[Graydon Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graydon-carter/)

> [“Lobster-both-ways is popular tonight. The preparation is easy enough. Take a two-pound lobster. Kill it with a sharp chef’s knife straight between the eyes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/lobster-both-ways-is-popular-tonight-the-preparation-is-easy-enough/)

[Graydon Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graydon-carter/)

> [I did a bunch of blue-collar jobs, because I knew I'd wind up with a white-collar job at some point, and I wanted to,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/i-did-a-bunch-of-blue-collar-jobs-because-i-knew-i-d-wind-up-with-a/)

[Graydon Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graydon-carter/)

> [Where past generations had film cameras, scrapbooks, notebooks, and that part of the brain which stores memories, we now have a smartphone app for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/where-past-generations-had-film-cameras-scrapbooks-notebooks-and-that/)

[Graydon Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graydon-carter/)

> [A workday lunch that lasts as long as a transcontinental flight is an impossibility for all but the most pliant and footloose of food…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/a-workday-lunch-that-lasts-as-long-as-a-transcontinental-flight-is-an/)

[Graydon Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graydon-carter/)

> [Magazines at some point become hostage to their own success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/magazines-at-some-point-become-hostage-to-their-own-success/)

[Graydon Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graydon-carter/)

> [Every minute you invest in kids you get back four times over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/every-minute-you-invest-in-kids-you-get-back-four-times-over/)

[Graydon Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graydon-carter/)

> [New York has arguably become the quintessential 1 percent city, a city that has been so given over to the rich that you now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/new-york-has-arguably-become-the-quintessential-1-percent-city-a-city/)

[Graydon Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graydon-carter/)

> [War is a form of really bad manners, in a strange way. Invading a country I think is just the worst possible manners. 'You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/war-is-a-form-of-really-bad-manners-in-a-strange-way-invading-a/)

[Graydon Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graydon-carter/)

> ['Green' does not have to mean the sort of hair-shirt, wood-burning-stove sensibility of the '70s. Green can and should be sleek and modern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/green-does-not-have-to-mean-the-sort-of-hair-shirt-wood-burning-stove/)

[Graydon Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graydon-carter/)

> [The fact is that movie stars are as insecure as the rest of us - if not more so. Many live in a luxurious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/the-fact-is-that-movie-stars-are-as-insecure-as-the-rest-of-us-if-not/)

[Graydon Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graydon-carter/)

> [After the collapse of Wall Street in the 1920s, the culture stopped being all about money, and the country survived and ultimately flourished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/after-the-collapse-of-wall-street-in-the-1920s-the-culture-stopped/)

[Graydon Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graydon-carter/)

> [It's estimated that across Africa 100 elephants are killed for their tusks every day. It takes nothing more than simple math to get to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/it-s-estimated-that-across-africa-100-elephants-are-killed-for-their/)

[Graydon Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graydon-carter/)

[Explore all 98 Graydon Carter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graydon-carter/)

## 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": "It's no surprise that the Bush administration's bullying swagger and blithe ignorance have caused much of the Muslim world to hold the U.S. in rock-bottom regard.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Graydon Carter"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/it-s-no-surprise-that-the-bush-administration-s-bullying-swagger-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Administration"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/it-s-no-surprise-that-the-bush-administration-s-bullying-swagger-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/902/graydon-carter-6607_administration_it-s-no-surprise-that-the-bush-administr_3014003.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/902/graydon-carter-6607_administration_it-s-no-surprise-that-the-bush-administr_3014003.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/902/graydon-carter-6607_administration_it-s-no-surprise-that-the-bush-administr_3014003.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's no surprise that the Bush administration's bullying swagger and blithe ignorance have caused much of…” — Graydon Carter",
                "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": "Graydon Carter",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graydon-carter/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It's no surprise that the Bush...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/it-s-no-surprise-that-the-bush-administration-s-bullying-swagger-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/it-s-no-surprise-that-the-bush-administration-s-bullying-swagger-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
