--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One of the terrible things about George…" description: "\"One of the terrible things about George W. Bush Administration is that nobody wants to hear bad news. The neoconservatives are a small circle, and they..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d69/seymour-hersh-9648_agree_one-of-the-terrible-things-about-george_2006520.jpg" --- # One of the terrible things about George W. Bush… ![“One of the terrible things about George W. Bush Administration is that nobody wants to hear bad news. The neoconservatives are a small circle, and they're all sort of holding hands as they develop their policy, and outsiders aren't allowed. If you agree with the guys on the inside, you're a…” quote by Seymour Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d69/seymour-hersh-9648_agree_one-of-the-terrible-things-about-george_2006520.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d69/seymour-hersh-9648_agree_one-of-the-terrible-things-about-george_2006520.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d69/seymour-hersh-9648_agree_one-of-the-terrible-things-about-george_2006520.jpg) > “One of the terrible things about George W. Bush Administration is that nobody wants to hear bad news. The neoconservatives are a small circle, and they're all sort of holding hands as they develop their policy, and outsiders aren't allowed. If you agree with the guys on the inside, you're a genius. If you disagree, you're a traitor, a pariah, you're an apostate, and you're not allowed in.” [Seymour Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-hersh/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The administration insulated itself from criticism, labeling dissenters as enemies, which stifles healthy debate. **In simple terms:** Closed circles punish dissent. Key Takeaway Encourage open dialogue. Themes politics media power truth Mood critical concerned Type analytical journalistic When to use this quote - government policy debates - journalistic reporting - public forums Key Concepts authoritarianism groupthink transparency Questions to Reflect On - How can institutions protect dissent? - What mechanisms ensure accountability? A Different Perspective Suppressing dissent can lead to policy errors and loss of public trust. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bush administration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bush-administration/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Holding hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holding-hands/) [Outsiders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outsiders/) [Small Circle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-circle/) [Traitor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traitor/) ## Related quotes > [The neoconservatives are a small circle, and they're all sort of holding hands as they develop their policy, and outsiders aren't allowed. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-hersh/the-neoconservatives-are-a-small-circle-and-they-re-all-sort-of/) [Seymour Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-hersh/) > [Few knew in 2000 that Bush was going to end up with neoconservatives all over the place. And once 9/11 happened, I think it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-hersh/few-knew-in-2000-that-bush-was-going-to-end-up-with-neoconservatives/) [Seymour Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-hersh/) > [Few knew in 2000 that George W. Bush was going to end up with neoconservatives all over the place. Once 9/11 happened, I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-hersh/few-knew-in-2000-that-george-w-bush-was-going-to-end-up-with/) [Seymour Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-hersh/) > [There's been a lot of talk about how bad the reporting was, particularly with the George W. Bush Administration after 9/11. The general assumption,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-hersh/there-s-been-a-lot-of-talk-about-how-bad-the-reporting-was/) [Seymour Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-hersh/) > [An idea is growing in foreign policy circles in Washington ... that there is no turning back. We are stuck in Iraq and Afghanistan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgie-anne-geyer/an-idea-is-growing-in-foreign-policy-circles-in-washington-that-there/) [Georgie Anne Geyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgie-anne-geyer/) > [“Our 'neoconservatives' are neither new nor conservative, but old as Babylon and evil as Hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/our-neoconservatives-are-neither-new-nor-conservative-but-old-as-2/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [“Political scientist Clinton Rossiter, considered one of the first neoconservatives, answered this question head-on, and unlike his peers, honestly, in his early study Conservatism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-dean/political-scientist-clinton-rossiter-considered-one-of-the-first/) [John W. Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-dean/) > [“As with equality, the neoconservatives, and now conservatives more generally, frame themselves as enthusiastic promoters of democracy; they frequently promote democracy as a panacea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hawley/as-with-equality-the-neoconservatives-and-now-conservatives-more/) [George Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hawley/) > [Neoconservatism is not what people think it is. It is not a party or a group. Many people popularly seen as neocons - Dick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/neoconservatism-is-not-what-people-think-it-is-it-is-not-a-party-or-a/) [Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/) > [The propagandistic American 'media' and the crazed neoconservatives have set humanity on the path to destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-craig-roberts/the-propagandistic-american-media-and-the-crazed-neoconservatives/) [Paul Craig Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-craig-roberts/) > [I regard many of the neoconservatives as personal friends, but that's not stopped them from behaving with extraordinary viciousness towards those of us who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-brimelow/i-regard-many-of-the-neoconservatives-as-personal-friends-but-that-s/) [Peter Brimelow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-brimelow/) > [There are no black conservatives. Oh, there are neoconservatives with black skin, but they lack any claim to blackness other than the biological. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-carter/there-are-no-black-conservatives-oh-there-are-neoconservatives-with/) Stephen Carter > [“The neoconservatives have tried, in a form of political jujitsu, to brand any criticism of Israel (not to mention themselves) as anti-Israel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-heilbrunn/the-neoconservatives-have-tried-in-a-form-of-political-jujitsu-to/) Jacob Heilbrunn > [For decades, I have watched neoconservatives paint those who oppose their interventionism as appeasers of dictators standing in solidarity with socialists, soft on Russia,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ro-khanna/for-decades-i-have-watched-neoconservatives-paint-those-who-oppose/) [Ro Khanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ro-khanna/) > [Our 'neoconservatives' are neither new nor conservative, but old as Bablyon and evil as Hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/our-neoconservatives-are-neither-new-nor-conservative-but-old-as/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) ## More by Seymour Hersh > [I can't fudge what I write. But I can certainly fudge what I say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-hersh/i-can-t-fudge-what-i-write-but-i-can-certainly-fudge-what-i-say/) [Seymour Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-hersh/) > [If Bush had gone into Iraq for cynical reasons, we could cut our losses now. What's frightening is that he did it for ideological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-hersh/if-bush-had-gone-into-iraq-for-cynical-reasons-we-could-cut-our/) [Seymour Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-hersh/) > [At a meeting in her office in the late summer of 2002, months before the war in Iraq, prisoner abuse at Guantanamo is discussed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-hersh/at-a-meeting-in-her-office-in-the-late-summer-of-2002-months-before/) [Seymour Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-hersh/) > [Using words to make other people less big made me feel bigger, though the psychological dimension to that... well, I don't want to explore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-hersh/using-words-to-make-other-people-less-big-made-me-feel-bigger-though/) [Seymour Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-hersh/) > [I didn't know I was gonna be a writer when I started out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-hersh/i-didn-t-know-i-was-gonna-be-a-writer-when-i-started-out/) [Seymour Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-hersh/) > [We'd be better off if the whole purpose of the adventure in Iraq was, say, to protect Israel or to protect the flow of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-hersh/we-d-be-better-off-if-the-whole-purpose-of-the-adventure-in-iraq-was/) [Seymour Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-hersh/) > [The idea of photographing an Arab man naked and having him simulate homosexual activity, and having an American GI woman in the photographs, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-hersh/the-idea-of-photographing-an-arab-man-naked-and-having-him-simulate/) [Seymour Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-hersh/) > [There's been a lot of talk about how bad the reporting was, particularly with the George W. Bush Administration after 9/11. The general assumption,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-hersh/there-s-been-a-lot-of-talk-about-how-bad-the-reporting-was/) [Seymour Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-hersh/) > [Grab whom you must. Do what you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-hersh/grab-whom-you-must-do-what-you-want/) [Seymour Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-hersh/) > [If George W. Bush had gone into Iraq for cynical reasons, we could cut our losses now. What's frightening is that he did it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-hersh/if-george-w-bush-had-gone-into-iraq-for-cynical-reasons-we-could-cut/) [Seymour Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-hersh/) > [I don't think I've ever met a public official that didn't think he was doing the right thing. I can't think of one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-hersh/i-don-t-think-i-ve-ever-met-a-public-official-that-didn-t-think-he/) [Seymour Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-hersh/) > [How can you have a security guarantee? The Europeans can give their security guarantees to Iran all they want in return for their stopping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-hersh/how-can-you-have-a-security-guarantee-the-europeans-can-give-their/) [Seymour Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-hersh/) > [I don't know Condoleezza Rice personally. I'm sure she's a nice lady, and I'm sure she plays the piano well. But she was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-hersh/i-don-t-know-condoleezza-rice-personally-i-m-sure-she-s-a-nice-lady/) [Seymour Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-hersh/) > [And then, of course, Bush won reelection, with everything out there, all of our complaints, all of the issues, all of the troubles with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-hersh/and-then-of-course-bush-won-reelection-with-everything-out-there-all/) [Seymour Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-hersh/) > [The day after 9/11, we should have gone to Russia. We did the one thing that George Kennan warned us never to do -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-hersh/the-day-after-9-11-we-should-have-gone-to-russia-we-did-the-one-thing/) [Seymour Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-hersh/) [Explore all 71 Seymour Hersh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-hersh/) ## More Agree quotes > [Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who do this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/any-comprehensive-doctrine-religious-or-secular-can-be-introduced/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [“All these creatures spend their time explaining, realizing happily that they agree with each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/all-these-creatures-spend-their-time-explaining-realizing-happily/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [I talk to fashion designers and say I want some money to save the rainforest, and they say, 'Oh, I agree with you completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-westwood/i-talk-to-fashion-designers-and-say-i-want-some-money-to-save-the/) [Vivienne Westwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-westwood/) > [As for doing good; that is one of the professions which is full. Moreover I have tried it fairly and, strange as it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-for-doing-good-that-is-one-of-the-professions-which-is-full/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Climate change poses clear, catastrophic threats. We may not agree on the extent, but we certainly can't afford the risk of inaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/climate-change-poses-clear-catastrophic-threats-we-may-not-agree-on/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [Never be afraid of doing the thing you know in your heart is right, even if others don't agree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/never-be-afraid-of-doing-the-thing-you-know-in-your-heart-is-right/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [It's fine to talk about politics with people you agree with. But it is rude to argue about politics with people you disagree with.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/it-s-fine-to-talk-about-politics-with-people-you-agree-with-but-it-is/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [ I will not agree to have this bill \[to repeal DADT \] go forward, because our economy is in the tank. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-will-not-agree-to-have-this-bill-to-repeal-dadt-go-forward-because/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [“I tend to agree with that little devil more and more these days.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-casey/i-tend-to-agree-with-that-little-devil-more-and-more-these-days/) [Elle Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-casey/) > [People might not agree with me, but I think a woman should have a feminine shape, something you can get your hands on. You,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/people-might-not-agree-with-me-but-i-think-a-woman-should-have-a/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [On 9-11, we discovered that we cannot escape from the world. To me personally, this was a life-changing experience, and I realized, as did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/on-9-11-we-discovered-that-we-cannot-escape-from-the-world-to-me/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [But I would say if the Security Council is only relevant if it agrees with the United States, then we have come a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-blix/but-i-would-say-if-the-security-council-is-only-relevant-if-it-agrees/) [Hans Blix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-blix/) > [We're never all going to agree with each other. We have to learn to value the diversity. 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