Tony Snow, White House Press Secretary With Polite Political Professionalism, Dies

Tony Snow had the perfect job as the White House Press Secretary.  Or perhaps I should say he was the prefect person to have the job as White House Press Secretary.  Both of those thoughts are correct.  This blogger has been a Tony Snow fan since he was announced for the position in the Bush Administration several years ago.

Tony Snow brought a reasoned approach with him each time he took the podium at the White House to field questions from the press corps.  The role of Press Secretary is one that I think would be just about the best job one could want in that building, other than be the President.  Snow was a master at his job because he knew that he had a message to deliver, but need not be disagreeable while performing his duties.  He brought a calm demeanor with him, along with a smile and laugh that would prove to be his allies as he worked to answer the questions that the press, and the nation, needed answers for.

In April of 2007 I wrote the following about Tony Snow.

To watch the interaction and jousting between any administration press secretary that desires favorable press, and the demands of a public to know and understand the truth, makes that spokesperson an essential part of any White House operation.

I have the highest regard for Tony Snow and the way that he banters with the press, all the while sticking to his talking points.  He is respected among the White House press because at his core he understands the role of the press, and respects the members of the fourth estate.  That is an essential difference that others such as President Nixon’s spokesman Ron Zielger never understood.

Today Tony Snow died from colon cancer, but proved though his many long years of fighting the disease that grace and a smile can carry a person far.

May he be at peace.

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