When reports first surfaced on Tuesday that [tag]Fox News[/tag] anchor [tag]Tony Snow[/tag] has been approached about becoming the [tag]White House[/tag] [tag]press secretary[/tag], I thought it might just be a trial balloon to see how hard people laughed. As it turns out, Snow now appears to be the frontrunner for the gig — and the New York Times reported today that the Fox News personality is “in negotiations for the job.”
Republicans said Mr. [tag]Bolten[/tag] has been focused on finding a new White House press secretary with good contacts in the Washington news media and a deep understanding of how they work. Mr. Snow is the host of his own radio program and comes from the news operation that flashes from every television in the West Wing.
But before entering into job negotiations with the White House, Mr. Snow publicly joined other conservative critics of the administration.
Those criticisms may prove to be a not-insignificant hurdle for Snow’s employment. The NYT noted, for example, that Snow called the White House domestic policy agenda “listless” and criticized Bush aides for their unwillingness to stand up to the president. We’re talking, of course, about a group that doesn’t take criticism well.
And while Snow’s subtle digs at the White House may cause consternation among the Bush gang, the president’s critics have an even larger list of concerns. Media Matters compiled “the many falsehoods of Tony Snow,” which included a series of dubious claims on everything from the Plame scandal to John Kerry to evolutionary biology. Sounds like Bush’s kind of guy.
Regardless, Snow seems to be at the top of the list to replace Scott McClellan and, as he weighs the possibility, the decision seems to be up to Snow.
Mr. Snow had surgery for colon cancer last year and is awaiting an clearance from doctors before making a deal, according to people with knowledge of his deliberations who spoke on condition of anonymity because they did not want to upset private discussions at a sensitive time.
Mr. Snow’s deliberations played out on Fox News on Thursday night, when be acknowledged the downside of the job. “You get a massive cut in pay,” he said, adding that a press secretary can get treated “like a pinata,” and that the job would cut into time with his children.
On the plus side, he said, “You become part of something that’s very rare, which is an inner White House circle.”
As the joke that’s going around says, at least Snow can count on some back-pay for all the work he’s done for Bush at Fox News.