Members Ryan Posted July 12, 2008 Members Share Posted July 12, 2008 http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080712/ap_on_re_us/obit_snow Former Bush press secretary Tony Snow dies By DOUGLASS K. DANIEL, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 28 minutes ago Tony Snow, a conservative writer and commentator who cheerfully sparred with reporters in the White House briefing room during a stint as President Bush's press secretary, died Saturday of colon cancer. He was 53. "America has lost a devoted public servant and a man of character," President Bush said in a statement from Camp David, where he was spending the weekend. "It was a joy to watch Tony at the podium each day. He brought wit, grace, and a great love of country to his work." Snow died at 2 a.m. at Georgetown University Hospital, according to former employer Fox News. Snow, who served as the first host of the television news program "Fox News Sunday" from 1996 to 2003, would later say that in the Bush administration he was enjoying "the most exciting, intellectually aerobic job I'm ever going to have." Snow was working for Fox News Channel and Fox News Radio when he replaced Scott McClellan as press secretary in May 2006 during a White House shake-up. Unlike McClellan, who came to define caution and bland delivery from the White House podium, Snow was never shy about playing to the cameras. With a quick-from-the-lip repartee, broadcaster's good looks and a relentlessly bright outlook — if not always a command of the facts — he became a popular figure around the country to the delight of his White House bosses. He served just 17 months as press secretary, a tenure interrupted by his second bout with cancer. In 2005 doctors had removed his colon and he began six months of chemotherapy. In March 2007 a cancerous growth was removed from his abdominal area and he spent five weeks recuperating before returning to the White House. "All of us here at the White House will miss Tony, as will the millions of Americans he inspired with his brave struggle against cancer," Bush said. Snow resigned as Bush's chief spokesman last September, citing not his health but a need to earn more than the $168,000 a year he was paid in the government post. In April, he joined CNN as a commentator. As press secretary, Snow brought partisan zeal and the skills of a seasoned performer to the task of explaining and defending the president's policies. During daily briefings, he challenged reporters, scolded them and questioned their motives as if he were starring in a TV show broadcast live from the West Wing. Critics suggested that Snow was turning the traditionally informational daily briefing into a personality-driven media event short on facts and long on confrontation. He was the first press secretary, by his own accounting, to travel the country raising money for Republican candidates. Although a star in conservative politics, as a commentator he had not always been on the president's side. He once called Bush "something of an embarrassment" in conservative circles and criticized what he called Bush's "lackluster" domestic policy. Most of Snow's career in journalism involved expressing his conservative views. After earning a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Davidson College in North Carolina in 1977 and studying economics and philosophy at the University of Chicago, he wrote editorials for The Greensboro (N.C.) Record, and The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk. He was the editorial page editor of The Newport News (Va.) Daily Press and deputy editorial page editor of The Detroit News before moving to Washington in 1987 to become editorial page editor of The Washington Times. Snow left journalism in 1991 to join the administration of the first President Bush as director of speechwriting and deputy assistant to the president for media affairs. He then rejoined the news media to write nationally syndicated columns for The Detroit News and USA Today during much of the Clinton administration. Roger Ailes, chairman of Fox News, called Snow a "renaissance man." Robert Anthony Snow was born June 1, 1955, in Berea, Ky., and spent his childhood in the Cincinnati area. Survivors include his wife, Jill Ellen Walker, whom he married in 1987, and three children. ___ Associated Press writer Jennifer Loven contributed to this report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kwing42 Posted July 23, 2008 Members Share Posted July 23, 2008 Sad to see a man of Tony's caliber go. Not surprised that no one commented on here. How sad. He and Russert will be calling the election from the great penthouse in the sky. God Bless Tony. You will be missed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ryan Posted July 23, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 23, 2008 How is it sad that no one commented? Maybe it's that no one knew enough about Tony to comment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tishy Posted July 23, 2008 Members Share Posted July 23, 2008 Or maybe some people, like myself, commented elsewhere. That day that he passed, I was glued to the TV watching everything I could about Tony Snow. He fought a good fight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chris B Posted July 23, 2008 Members Share Posted July 23, 2008 That's definitely sad, sad news. He was young and really a great guy. I loved watching him on MSNBC fielding all the difficult questions facing the Bush administration. He did his job well and the woman who replaced him when he was sick was truly a joke. My condolences go out to all his family and friends. This is seriously a major loss to the political world, regardless of how you feel about Republicans or Democrats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jcar03 Posted August 4, 2008 Members Share Posted August 4, 2008 I didn't even know he passed until today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.