Barack Quote by Rachel Maddow
![“[Dan Fried] served under President [Barack] Obama and under President George W. Bush before that and under President [Bill] Clinton before that and under President George H.W. Bush before that and under [Ronald] Reagan before that and under [Jim] Carter before that. He has been there a long time.” quote by Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bf7/rachel-maddow-1240_barack_dan-fried-served-under-president-barack_2944591.jpg)
“[Dan Fried] served under President [Barack] Obama and under President George W. Bush before that and under President [Bill] Clinton before that and under President George H.W. Bush before that and under [Ronald] Reagan before that and under [Jim] Carter before that. He has been there a long time.”
About This Quote
Source Podcast: Political History, 2022
Long‑term service under multiple presidents shows deep institutional knowledge and continuity.
In simple terms: Serving many leaders builds experience.
Key Takeaway
Value institutional continuity.
Themes
politics
experience
continuity
leadership
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
political
historical
When to use this quote
- government service
- historical analysis
- career planning
Key Concepts
bureaucratic expertise
historical perspective
policy consistency
Questions to Reflect On
- How does long service affect policy?
- What are risks of entrenched bureaucracy?
A Different Perspective
Longevity may breed complacency.
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![“[Dan Fried ]is a pillar of the U.S. State Department. He's part of its institutional memory. He has been in the room for basically every important negotiation, every standoff, every big development, particularly between the United States and Russia for decades.” quote by Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a59/rachel-maddow-1240_bigs_dan-fried-is-a-pillar-of-the-u-s-state-d_1270135.jpg)
![“The [Donald] Trump folks chose not to keep [Dan Fried] on. He was actually - I said he was actually the third-most senior diplomat in the foreign service.” quote by Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/543/rachel-maddow-1240_diplomats_the-donald-trump-folks-chose-not-to-keep_1190463.jpg)
![“[Dan Fried] served six presidents over a 40-year career dating back to the [Jimmy] Carter administration.” quote by Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a1d/rachel-maddow-1240_administration_dan-fried-served-six-presidents-over-a-4_3190082.jpg)
![“After [Dan Fried] was initially hired into the Foreign Service in 1977, five subsequent presidents of both parties thought it would be a good idea to keep him on. That his deep understanding, his knowledge of all the players and so many of the secrets it would make him an indispensable asset…” quote by Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bb4/rachel-maddow-1240_assets_after-dan-fried-was-initially-hired-into_897226.jpg)
![“If [Hillary] Clinton wins, history will also be made: She would be the first female U.S. president, of course, but also the only candidate in the modern era, other than George H.W. Bush, who managed to follow a two-term president of her own party.” quote by Mara Liasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/dc4/mara-liasson-8465_candidates_if-hillary-clinton-wins-history-will-als_977689.jpg)
![“Ben Carson also denounced [Donald] Trump's ban all Muslims proposal saying we do not and would not advocate being selective on one's religion.” quote by Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0d7/rachel-maddow-1240_bans_ben-carson-also-denounced-donald-trump-s_674.jpg)
![“Senator [Tom] Cotton has campaigned on wanting to kill Obamacare. He voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act back in January, but he now says, despite these marathon all-night sessions going on in the House, Republicans need to do better, they need to start over, they need to come up with…” quote by Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ba0/rachel-maddow-1240_affordable_senator-tom-cotton-has-campaigned-on-wan_18158.jpg)
![“[Tom Cotton] has been an absolute champion of the idea of getting rid of Obamacare, scrapping the Affordable Care Act.” quote by Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a13/rachel-maddow-1240_absolutes_tom-cotton-has-been-an-absolute-champion_30724.jpg)
![“I can't imagine that I would be asked that by the president-elect [Donald Trump], or then-president [Barack Obama]. But it's - I'm very clear. I voted for the change that put the Army Field Manual in place as a member of Congress. I understand that law very, very quickly and am also deeply aware…” quote by James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/761/james-mattis-9515_army_i-can-t-imagine-that-i-would-be-asked-th_3990.jpg)
![“The president [Barack Obama] asked for a commitment of, I think, 100,000 jobs for veterans and military spouses over the next couple of years. And we announced during the tour last week that we have gotten more than 60,000 jobs, and we're well on our way to just crashing that goal out of the…” quote by Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/83d/michelle-obama-518_barack_the-president-barack-obama-asked-for-a-c_15651.jpg)
![“I think the president's [Barack Obama] position has been very clear on Syria. He wants more aggressive, he's put the Special Ops on the ground, in fact one of the Republican criticisms is he's got thousands of Americans there. We just don't call them troops on the ground, we don't admit to it. But…” quote by Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f9c/juan-williams-7909_aggressive_i-think-the-president-s-barack-obama-pos_17086.jpg)
![“It cannot be an American fight. And I think what the president [Barack Obama] has consistently said - which I agree with - is that we will support those who take the fight to ISIS. That is why we have troops in Iraq that are helping to train and build back up the Iraqi military, why we have…” quote by Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f1e/hillary-clinton-51_agree_it-cannot-be-an-american-fight-and-i-thi_19737.jpg)
![“It wasn't [Barack] Obama per se; it was the feeling on the ground; it was seeing an old black woman in a wheelchair being wheeled by her son waving a big American flag, and then seeing a guy with his baby in his arms saying, "I didn't want her to miss tonight! I wanted to be able to tell her!" And…” quote by Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/806/bill-ayers-1848_able_it-wasn-t-barack-obama-per-se-it-was-the_20409.jpg)
