Tony Snow- new press secretary

[Calabrio]

Bush Taps Snow As New Press Secretary

Apr 26, 10:12 AM (ET)
By TERENCE HUNT



WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush on Wednesday named conservative commentator Tony Snow as White House press secretary, putting a new face on a troubled administration.

Snow, a Fox news pundit and former speechwriter in the White House under Bush's father, replaced Scott McClellan who resigned in a personnel shuffle intended to re-energize the White House and lift the president's record-low approval ratings.

"My job is to make decisions and his job is to help explain those decisions to the press corps and the American people," Bush said, with Snow and McClellan at his side in the White House briefing room.

Snow's appointment is notable in a White House that has a reputation for not suffering criticism. He has had some harsh things to say about Bush.

Snow called the president "something of an embarrassment," a leader who has "lost control of the federal budget," the architect of a "listless domestic policy" and a man who has "a habit of singing from the political correctness hymnal."

Bush shrugged off the criticism. "He's not afraid to express his own opinions," he said of his new spokesman. "For those of you who've read his columns and listened to his radio show, he sometimes has disagreed with me. I asked him about those comments, and he said, 'You should have heard what I said about the other guy.'"

Snow thanked Bush for the job and told reporters, "Believe it or not, I want to work with you."

Bush also addressed reporters directly. "Tony already knows most of you and he's agreed to take the job anyway," he said with a laugh.

Snow, in an Associated Press interview Tuesday, didn't dispute that he's been a tough critic of Bush. "It's public record," he said. "I've written some critical stuff. When you're a columnist, you're going to criticize and you're going to praise."

A liberal think tank, the Center for American Progress, circulated a sampling of Snow's opinions, restricting the observations to those critical of the president. For example, it quoted Snow in September as writing, "No president has looked this impotent this long when it comes to defending presidential powers and prerogatives."

Snow is a smooth-talking Washington insider in a White House led by Texans proud of their outsider status. He is a familiar face to White House reporters and is known as a conservative partisan.

"He will bring a lot of outside perspective to this White House and that will be helpful," said McClellan, who has served as Bush's chief spokesman - the most prominent public figure in the White House after Bush - for nearly three years.

McClellan said Snow planned to start the week of May 8 but would not begin conducting the daily press briefings for several days. McClellan said he had not decided on departure date yet, but would have some overlap with Snow.

One factor in Snow's decision to take the job was that he had his colon removed last year and underwent six months of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with cancer. He had a CAT scan last week and delayed a decision while he consulted with his doctors.

Snow has been the host of the "Tony Snow Show" on Fox News Radio and "Weekend Live with Tony Snow" on the Fox News Channel. He served in the first Bush administration as speechwriting director and later as a deputy assistant to the president for media affairs.

---

 

[MonsterMark]

I hope he does a decent job.

 

[raVeneyes]

"My job is to make decisions and his job is to help explain those decisions to the press corps and the American people," Bush said, with Snow and McClellan at his side in the White House briefing room.

And the crowd laughs...

Bush also addressed reporters directly. "Tony already knows most of you and he's agreed to take the job anyway," he said with a laugh.

*Cricket Cricket* *Tumbleweed rolls by*

 

[fossten]

And the [hateful, antagonistic, Bush-bashing, policy-distorting] crowd laughs...

*Cricket Cricket* *Tumbleweed rolls by*

If the media would just report the truth without spinning or twisting it, the President probably wouldn't even need a press secretary.

 

[raVeneyes]

If the media would just report the truth without spinning or twisting it, the President probably wouldn't even need a press secretary.

Actually, it was the media *NOT* reporting the story that prompted my comment. I watched the announcement and the reaction to those two comments.

 

[fossten]

Actually, it was the media *NOT* reporting the story that prompted my comment. I watched the announcement and the reaction to those two comments.

Oh, really?

ABC: Snow a "Conservative Commentator Who Called" Bush "'an Embarrassment'"

Posted by Brent Baker on April 26, 2006 - 21:11.

ABC and NBC on Wednesday night delighted in showcasing how incoming White House Press Secretary Tony Snow last year wrote that President Bush had become “an embarrassment.” But in portraying the quote as a declarative accusation, neither ABC's Elizabeth Vargas or NBC's David Gregory put the remark into the context of how Snow was observing that Virginia Republicans not wishing to appear with Bush during the 2005 campaign suggested “Bush has become something of an embarrassment.” And neither bothered to let their viewers in on how they were just funneling quotes from a short list collected by the left-wing Center for American Progress. Vargas teased at the top of World News Tonight, “President Bush chooses a new spokesman: A conservative commentator who once called the President 'an embarrassment.'" Vargas managed to apply an ideological tag to Snow three times in under two minutes. She also ludicrously asserted that “Tony Snow is the first journalist to get this job.” Tell that to Pierre Salinger, Bill Moyers, Ron Nessen or Joe Lockhart -- who was a producer for Vargas' own ABC News.

NBC's David Gregory at least hinted at some context, though he still implied it was an accusation, as he related how Snow “has criticized his new boss, writing last year that, quote, 'George Bush has become something of an embarrassment.'” Gregory twice labeled Snow “conservative” before pointing out what eluded Vargas: “He is the first TV personality to be in the job since Gerald Ford hired away Ron Nessen from NBC News back in the 70s." (Transcripts follow.)

In a Wednesday afternoon NewsBusters posting, “ABC's Yellin Pushes Liberal Group's Anti-Tony Snow Talking Points,” the MRC's Rich Noyes recounted how Good Morning America highlighted the “an embarrassment” charge and how Yellin failed to acknowledge her liberal source.

The headline over the page on the Website of the Center for American Progress: “Tony Snow On President Bush: ‘An Embarrassment,' ‘Impotent,' ‘Doesn't Seem To Mean What He Says.'” The fourth quote:


"George Bush has become something of an embarrassment." [11/11/05]
James Taranto pointed out in his Wednesday “Best of the Web” e-mail/posting for OpinionJournal.com (I've put in UPPER CASE the clause picked out by the left-wing group and so readily passed along by ABC and NBC):

The quote comes from a column on the Virginia governor's election, in which Democrat Tim Kaine beat Republican Jerry Kilgore. Here it is in context:

And don't forget about the Swagger Factor: A party that projects confidence and good cheer will thrash a Chicken Little party any day. Kilgore looked scared. Kaine acted like the cool kid on prom night.

The Swagger Factor has national repercussions because George W. Bush has lost his. His wavering conservatism has become an active concern among Republicans, who wish he would stop cowering under the bed and start fighting back against the likes of Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and Joe Wilson. The newly Passive GEORGE BUSH HAS BECOME SOMETHING OF AN EMBARRASSMENT. At the nadir of his campaign, Jerry Kilgore actively dodged having to share a stage with the commander in chief.


As for Lockhart's pre-Clinton history, the October 5, 1998 MRC MediaWatch reported:

NBC, ABC, CNN...the White House

When President Clinton tapped Joe Lockhart in late July to replace Mike McCurry as Press Secretary as of October 5, ABC's Peter Jennings didn't tell viewers how Lockhart used to work for ABC News. In a story for CNN, Wolf Blitzer also skip-ped Lockhart's time at the cable network.

As the Washington Post's Howard Kurtz noted in a September 9 profile, "he will be the first White House press secretary since Ron Nessen in the Ford administration to have had a recent career as a newsman. The son of journalists and the husband of a longtime ABC producer, Lockhart was spinning through the revolving door between media and politics long before that phrase became fashionable." Indeed, he has bounc-ed back and forth since his father, an executive with NBC News, landed him a volunteer spot in Carter's 1980 reelection campaign.

As recounted by Kurtz, Lockhart "left to become an NBC foot soldier, writing for the network's internal wire at the Democratic National Convention." After the convention he got a paying job with the campaign.

By 1984 he had "climbed aboard Walter Mondale's presidential campaign. He was responsible for the care and feeding of the network cameramen and technicians, riding with them on the 'zoo plane' and helping them find backdrops for better shots."

Mondale's loss led Lockhart to a Press Secretary position for Democratic Senator Paul Simon. But he soon crossed back as an assignment editor for ABC News in Chicago, later taking the same title in CNN's Washington bureau. Within a couple of years, he signed aboard the 1988 Dukakis presidential effort as a traveling press aide.

When his wife Laura Logan, Deputy Press Secretary for John Glenn's 1984 presidential run, was transferred to London by her employer, ABC News, Lockhart followed and landed a slot with the nemesis of liberals: Rupert Murdoch. Kurtz recounted: "He applied for a producer's job at British-based Sky News and was stunned when executives there wanted him for on-air work....Soon his daily business reports were running back home on Fox, albeit at 5 a.m. Sky News dispatched him to Washington to report on the Gulf War, but...his program was later canceled." Back in the U.S. he worked for the Clinton campaign, then assumed the Deputy Press Secretary slot at the White House.


The portions of the April 26 ABC and NBC evening newscasts which dealt with Snow (CBS held itself to a very brief item)

ABC's World News Tonight. The up top tease from Vargas:


“Press Secretary. President Bush chooses a new spokesman. A conservative commentator who once called the President 'an embarrassment.'”
Vargas narrated the subsequent story:

“President Bush hopes to get help conveying his message on Iraq from his new Press Secretary. Fox News commentator Tony Snow will be moving to the other side of the podium. He was a speech writer for the first President Bush, so he's no stranger to the White House. But he does stand out for some of the things he said about this President in the past. Snow has been a reliable conservative voice on television, radio and in print. Like many fiscally conservative commentators, he has also taken President Bush to task. He's called him, 'something of an embarrassment' for not fighting harder against congressional Democrats, a leader who has 'lost control of the federal budget' and the architect of a 'listless domestic policy.'”

President Bush at announcement of Snow's appointment: “I asked him about those comments. And he said, 'you should have heard what I said about the other guy.'"

Vargas: “Snow himself sounded an optimistic note.”

Tony Snow to White House press corp: “I look forward to working with you. Thanks.”

NBC's David Gregory as Snow and Bush walk out of the press room: “Mr. President, what does this choice say about what you think you need in the second term?”

Vargas: “But today, at least, the President and his new Press Secretary left the press room without taking any questions. And ABC's Chief Washington correspondent, George Stephanopoulos, joins us. George, Tony Snow is the first journalist to get this job. He's outspoken, he's opinionated. How do you think he'll do?”

Stephanopoulos, in DC: “I think he's going to do very well. He's made his living communicating. He's a smart and very likable guy, so he should lower the temperature in the briefing room and also increase the star power. And also by picking him, President Bush has already helped himself by going outside of his circle, picking someone of independent stature he shows that he's not afraid of having big people with independent opinions in the White House.”

Vargas: “And what's the toughest part of the job, do you think, for Tony Snow going in?”

Stephanopoulos: “Psychological adjustment. As you showed, he's been out there for a long time voicing his own opinions. Now, he's going to have to learn to squelch those private opinions and deliver the party line with conviction and that's going to take some getting used to.”

NBC Nightly News, with the closed-captioning corrected against the video by the MRC's Brad Wilmouth. David Gregory after beginning his story by looking at Karl Rove's appearance before a grand jury:


"Renewed focus on the case today overshadowed the President's announcement. Snow, a conservative commentator who worked in Bush 41's White House, has criticized his new boss, writing last year that, quote, 'George Bush has become something of an embarrassment.' That, quote, 'no president has looked this impotent this long.' Writing this year that the White House had a, quote, 'listless domestic policy.' The President appeared to welcome those knocks today as proof he wants advisors to give him unvarnished advice."

George W. Bush: "He's not afraid to express his own opinions. I asked him about those comments, and he said you should have heard what I said about the other guy."

Gregory: "Snow is a reliable conservative, and how he's expected to aggressively defend the President. Brian, also worth noting that he is the first TV personality to be in the job since Gerald Ford hired away Ron Nessen from NBC News back in the 70s."


Discredited again. *owned*

 

[raVeneyes]

Discredited again. *owned*

What are you talking about?

Dude, your personal vendetta against me needs to stop. I'm sorry you feel so threatened that you feel you need to "discredit" things that I say, even things I say in passing.

The media did not report on the mood of the room at the announcement, all of the reports have been very dry sticking to those quotes and little of what the reaction was. All I was doing was providing a little commentary on what happened after those words were said.

This is the very reason I spent so much time away from this board...and apparently I should spend more.

 

[Calabrio]

..so, is there anything Bush could do or say that would be greeted with enthusiasm from the press corps? Perhaps you don't know this, that was one of the reasons he was re-elected. The fact that he does stand in such contrast to the ideology of the press corps.

You could build a decent argument saying that had the media not gone so far out of it's way to destroy Bush, Dan Rather for example, that he might not have had nearly as much support as he did.

Snow could be a great thing for this administration. He's a man who has both political and media experience. He also will be a departure from the robot/man style spokesperson we've come to expect.

And, it is true, he's an articulate and informed conservative voice with his finger on the pulse of the conservative community. He was a guest host on the Limbaugh show, he hosted a Sunday more news show, and he has a daily radio show now. I'm glad to know his voice will directly be heard INSIDE the White House.

I'm honestly of the thinking that the GOP is going to quickly start turning things around in within the next month or so. Those poll numbers Barry is stubbornly posted should start turning very soon. The summer is a slow news season, they can position themself with little fanfare. Come fall, expect a return to true conservatism through the elections.

 

[raVeneyes]

..so, is there anything Bush could do or say that would be greeted with enthusiasm from the press corps?

Announce his resignation.
(It's a joke...I'm kidding...It was just set up there, and I wanted to make someone laugh)

You have a good point though, Bush has consistently distanced himself from the press corps. I would say without any good reason...in all the time Clinton was being hounded by the press about Stain-gate he never distanced himself. But it *is* the job of the press to question authority...even back to the beginning of the country. The press always takes the opposition side.

Perhaps you don't know this, that was one of the reasons he was re-elected. The fact that he does stand in such contrast to the ideology of the press corps.

Actually I didn't know that being standoffish to the press corps and the free flow of information had become such a winning point with the people in the US. I don't honestly know how that could be...humans are a naturally curious species, and I would think that people want to know how their money is being spent. (That was not sarcasm...I'm serious...I didn't know, and I would expect the opposite)

Snow could be a great thing for this administration. He's a man who has both political and media experience. He also will be a departure from the robot/man style spokesperson we've come to expect.

That would be nice. A press secretary with balls, and a personality. Maybe we'll get some actual news reporting out of the White house.

I'm glad to know his voice will directly be heard INSIDE the White House.

I don't know about that... Do you think they'll let the new guy speak? I mean he *is* the new guy after all, and he's the press secretary secondly...a position which has been kept out of the loop by this Presidency.

I'm honestly of the thinking that the GOP is going to quickly start turning things around in within the next month or so. Those poll numbers Barry is stubbornly posted should start turning very soon. The summer is a slow news season, they can position themself with little fanfare. Come fall, expect a return to true conservatism through the elections.

Interesting prediction. I see it a little different, but only time will tell...

 

[fossten]

Announce his resignation.
(It's a joke...I'm kidding...It was just set up there, and I wanted to make someone laugh)

Your jokes aren't funny, that's the problem.

You have a good point though, Bush has consistently distanced himself from the press corps. I would say without any good reason...in all the time Clinton was being hounded by the press about Stain-gate he never distanced himself. But it *is* the job of the press to question authority...even back to the beginning of the country. The press always takes the opposition side.

That's the biggest bunch of baloney I've ever heard. There's absolutely no comparison to the level of venom reached by the press against Bush and the kid glove, softball tactics they employed with Clinton. To your example of Stain-gate, I don't remember Clinton taking the beating that KEN STARR took for DOING HIS JOB. He was VILIFIED while Clinton was NEVER asked any TOUGH QUESTIONS BY THE PRESS.

Don't even try to get me started on MSM liberal bias again, I've already beat that topic into the ground.

Actually I didn't know that being standoffish to the press corps and the free flow of information had become such a winning point with the people in the US. I don't honestly know how that could be...humans are a naturally curious species, and I would think that people want to know how their money is being spent. (That was not sarcasm...I'm serious...I didn't know, and I would expect the opposite)

You don't get the fact that Americans don't TRUST the MSM anymore. Have you noticed that NYT and WaPo subscriptions are down, as are stock values? Viewership of the flagship networks is plummeting. Get a clue.

That would be nice. A press secretary with balls, and a personality. Maybe we'll get some actual news reporting out of the White house.

You mean like Lanny Davis? Don't make me laugh/puke.

 

[fossten]

What are you talking about?

Dude, your personal vendetta against me needs to stop. I'm sorry you feel so threatened that you feel you need to "discredit" things that I say, even things I say in passing.

The media did not report on the mood of the room at the announcement, all of the reports have been very dry sticking to those quotes and little of what the reaction was. All I was doing was providing a little commentary on what happened after those words were said.

This is the very reason I spent so much time away from this board...and apparently I should spend more.

DUDE...

Don't make me laugh. You get so offended when I police all the errors in your irresponsible statements, and you want to accuse me of personal attacks? Yours, as I recall, were the most vicious directed at me of all attacks I ever received. Don't try to play innocent here. You wasted no time with name-calling yourself:

I see little has changed for fussy fossie...

You're the one who opened this can of worms. Now you get to eat them.

If you don't want me discrediting you, stop saying incorrect things and do a little research first. It works for me. Otherwise, go away again with your tail b/t your legs.

 

[raVeneyes]

If you don't want me discrediting you, stop saying incorrect things and do a little research first. It works for me. Otherwise, go away again with your tail b/t your legs.

You have not...ever...once...in your entire life, "discredited" me.

Which is not to say I've never been wrong. In fact I was proved wrong on another message board a few weeks ago and found out that some assumptions I made about the percentages of destinations for crude oil were a bit off (I thought 60/40 weighted towards industry, turns out it's about 50/50 with the margin of error more towards auto fuel)

Good luck trying.

 

[fossten]

You have not...ever...once...in your entire life, "discredited" me.

Well, what's it like to live in denial? I wouldn't know, since the party I voted for won the election.

Must be miserable to be you, waking up angry at America every day.

 

[fossten]

Snow Starts Out Swinging, CBS Hits Back at 'Manipulating' WH
Posted by Matthew Sheffield on May 11, 2006 - 11:05.

New White House pressec Tony Snow is taking a more aggressive line with the press corps, sending out emails critical of the elite media's coverage. The DC Examiner's Bill Sammon reports:

New White House Press Secretary Tony Snow is starting off in a combative mode against the press by issuing detailed rebuttals to what he considers unfair coverage of Bush.

“The New York Times continues to ignore America’s economic progress,” blared the headline of an e-mail sent to reporters Wednesday by the White House press office.

Minutes earlier, another e-mail blasted CBS News, which has had an unusually rocky relationship with the White House since 2004, when CBS aired what turned out to be forged documents in a failed effort to question the president’s military service.

“CBS News misleadingly reports that only 8 million seniors have signed up for Medicare prescription drug coverage,” Wednesday’s missive said. “But 37 million seniors have coverage.”

Through its own PR machine, the blog PublicEye, CBS News responded by posting a statement from the reporter criticized in the White House press release, Jim Axelrod. He accuses Snow et al. of "clearly manipulating what I broadcast to fit their agenda."

Very simply, the White House is cutting and pasting to make a point, something they accuse their critics of doing constantly. I am clearly talking about the "final push" Mr. Bush is making on Medicare. The pictures we show at the time I say "8 million already signed up," clearly refer to an appearance the president is making to make sure people understand the deadline is fast approaching for the Medicare prescription drug benefit. I took information provided to me directly by the Medicare administrator's office about the number of people signed up so far in their push, and relayed it.

The White House takes issue with our reporting, "less than 40 percent of seniors have enrolled in the program".. stating that "90% of eligible beneficiaries" have coverage. However they don't reference the next sentence in my story:

Narration/Graphics [script]: “The latest CBS News-New York Times poll shows less than 40% of seniors have enrolled in the program – and nearly half say they don’t plan to, mostly because they have other prescription coverage.”

Nearly half say they don't plan to, mostly because they have other prescription coverage. That sounds like selective editing on the part of the White House to make their own political points. [...]

I am always open to criticism and believe we should be as transparent as possible in how we put together our reports, especially on such important issues as Medicare, but if the White House has a point to make, perhaps they should furnish the full and proper context for everything that is broadcast.

Haha, look who's talking.

Way to go, Tony!!! Looks like you've hit a nerve. Keep smacking it!!!

 

[Calabrio]

I continue to hope the replacement of Card, focusing Rove on politics and not policy, and the arrival of Snow as the new press secretary will usher in a new era for this administration.

Snow has the abliity to shake up the press corps, without acting like a robot and in a way that a normal person can relate to.