Administration Quote by P. J. O'Rourke
![“When [George W.] Bush was elected, I think they thought I would have some sort of special "in" with that administration, to provide some sort of inside poop. Which is not something I'd be interested in doing, and anyway, I didn't. I actually knew more people in his dad's administration. So it was…” quote by P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/624/p-j-o-rourke-184_administration_when-george-w-bush-was-elected-i-think-t_1265391.jpg)
“When [George W.] Bush was elected, I think they thought I would have some sort of special "in" with that administration, to provide some sort of inside poop. Which is not something I'd be interested in doing, and anyway, I didn't. I actually knew more people in his dad's administration. So it was obviously winding down at Rolling Stone, and they were having financial troubles, too. They weren't getting the advertising, and the issues were getting thin. They fired Bob Love, who'd been my editor there for a long time.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: Rolling Stone, 1990
Political insider access is often overvalued; personal integrity outweighs opportunistic ambition.
In simple terms: Integrity matters more than insider connections.
Key Takeaway
Prioritize honesty over networking for gain.
Themes
integrity
politics
career
ethics
authenticity
professionalism
Mood
cynical
analytical
Type
satirical
commentary
When to use this quote
- career decisions
- media ethics
- networking strategies
Key Concepts
journalism
political science
Questions to Reflect On
- Would you trade integrity for influence?
- How do you navigate ethical dilemmas in your field?
A Different Perspective
Insider status can compromise objectivity.
![“Then basically what was happening was that it was the middle '80s, and Rolling Stone realized that a lot of their readers had voted for [Ronald] Reagan, and they were going, "Gosh! We need a Republican! Does anybody know a Republican? Wait a minute! I think P.J.'s a Republican!"” quote by P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fe1/p-j-o-rourke-184_80s_then-basically-what-was-happening-was-th_1600927.jpg)
![“Seriously. It was running out at Rolling Stone. First of all, they didn't feel the need for a dissident conservative voice in a world where certain conservative aspects had become intellectually dominant. I would actually argue against that, but on the surface of it, in the [Bill] Clinton years…” quote by P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cb5/p-j-o-rourke-184_20th-century_seriously-it-was-running-out-at-rolling_1366968.jpg)
![“I was never in the office [of Rolling Stone]. It was very different from Lampoon, where we spent a lot of time together socially, which is to say "drunk."” quote by P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/86a/p-j-o-rourke-184_different_i-was-never-in-the-office-of-rolling-sto_1215458.jpg)
