September 12, 2007

Tony Snow Holds Final WH Press Briefing

White House press secretary Tony Snow gave his final televised press briefing today.

Snow, 52, has enjoyed a warmer relationship with the press corps than either of his predecessors, Scott McClellan or Ari Fleischer. As a former journalist, he's displayed an understanding of the needs of the press, and the consensus in the White House press corps is that he's just a very likable guy.

"I love these briefings and I'm really going to miss them," Snow told the room as he opened the 12:30 session. Snow, who is battling a second round of cancer, added, "Life will continue, including for me."

Snow's departure is not unusual for an administration official at this juncture in a president's second term. The former "FOX News Sunday" host also hinted earlier that he would have to remedy the steep pay cut that came with his job, presumably because of his three young children.

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Posted at 1:38 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, President Bush, Tony Snow
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August 17, 2007

Tony Snow Hints At WH Departure

Say it ain't so, Snowbird.

In an interview on Hugh Hewitt's radio talk show on Wednesday, White House press secretary Tony Snow suggested he would be announcing his departure from the Bush administration by Labor Day.

"I've already made it clear I'm not going to be able to go the distance, but that's primarily for financial reasons. I've told people when my money runs out, then I've got to go," said Snow, a former conservative radio talk show host himself.

According to top White House aide Karl Rove, who announced on Sunday he would be stepping down, Chief of Staff Josh Bolten asked all senior staff to leave by Labor Day if they weren't planning to see President Bush's second term through.

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Posted at 4:27 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Karl Rove, President Bush, Tony Snow
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July 20, 2007

Bush To Undergo Colonoscopy; Cheney To Assume Presidential Authority

President Bush will undergo a medical procedure tomorrow that will require him to temporarily transfer his presidential authority to Vice President Dick Cheney.

White House press secretary Tony Snow delivered the news at his noon press briefing that Bush was having a colonoscopy. The procedure, which involves a snake-like probe of the large bowel through the rectum, requires sedation and can last up to an hour. Regular colonoscopies to check for signs of colon cancer are recommended for men and women over age 50 every five years.

Snow said that Bush, who just turned 61, would have the colonoscopy tomorrow but wouldn't specify the time. Cheney will have "full capability to respond" to any crisis from his beach house on the Eastern Shore, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate President pro tempore Robert Byrd, second and third in line to the presidency respectively, had been notified earlier in the day.

Snow is currently undergoing treatment for colon cancer. He said he was doing "fine," and has three more chemotherapy sessions to go in this round of treatment.

Posted at 12:14 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Dick Cheney, Health, President Bush, Tony Snow
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July 03, 2007

White House Denies Special Treatment For Libby

UPDATED.

President Bush today defended his decision to commute the sentence of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby on a perjury and obstruction of justice conviction.

"I considered his background, his service to this country as well as the jury verdict," Bush said at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. "I felt like the 30-month sentencing was severe. I made a considered judgment that I believe is the right decision to make in this case, and I stand by it."

It was Bush's first public appearance since announcing, via press release, that he had ordered Libby's sentence commuted. Bush said he believed the jury's verdict should stand, but did not count out a full pardon in the future.

"I rule nothing in and nothing out," Bush said.

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Posted at 1:37 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Crime, Dick Cheney, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, President Bush, Tony Snow
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June 13, 2007

Subpoenas Sent To Harriet Miers, Sara Taylor

UPDATED.

The Senate and House Judiciary committees stepped up their dual investigations of the U.S. attorney firings today by issuing subpoenas to former White House counsel Harriet Miers and former White House political director Sara Taylor. It was the first time the committees have ordered former White House officials to testify on an episode that continues to cast doubt on the political independence of the Department of Justice.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers issued a subpoena for Miers to testify on July 12. Miers stepped down early this year, and is now back with Locke Liddell & Sapp, the Houston-based law firm she co-managed before joining the Bush administration in 2001. Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy ordered Taylor before the committee on July 11.

(To read Miers' subpoena, click here [PDF]. To read Taylor's subpoena, as well as one ordering White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten to produce related documents, click here.)

Arlen Specter, the ranking Republican on the Senate committee, painted the subpoenas as a last resort. In an interview with Bloomberg News, Specter said previous requests to speak with Taylor and Miers were met with silence.

But White House spokesman Tony Snow accused the lawmakers of seeking a "media circus" rather than the truth, citing the loads of internal documents already handed over to the committees. At the daily briefing, Snow reminded reporters that it is legal for President Bush to hire and fire federal prosecutors at whim, but said he was "not going to get into" why the White House didn't want officials testifying in public or under oath.

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Posted at 5:23 PM
Posted to: Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Karl Rove, President Bush, Tony Snow
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May 16, 2007

Rockin' Out With Snowbird & The Schieff

We haven't been able to post about this until now, due to more significant news events (Falwell, the Republican debate), but the photos are too good not to share.

For anyone who hasn't already seen the footage (CNN is still running it, two days after the fact), White House press secretary Tony Snow and CBS newsman Bob Schieffer faced each other (get it?) Monday night in a battle of the bands. It was all in good fun, and proceeds went to the National Press Club's Eric Friedheim National Journalism Library.

Those familiar with Schieffer on "Face The Nation" know that he often ends that program with a stern commentary about congressional waste or White House obfuscation or media frivolity. But that's just one side of the widely respected 70-year-old news veteran.

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Posted at 6:40 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Tony Snow
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May 14, 2007

Pols Don Their Caps & Gowns

It's that time of year again, and with Washington entangled in the ongoing battle over Iraq and presidential candidates eyeing next year's increasingly early primaries, politicians are scrambling for that sweetest of spring gigs: the college commencement address.

Here's a snapshot of some of the speeches graduates were treated to over the weekend:

President Bush at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa.: "Be the face that brings a smile to the hurt and forgotten. Lead lives of purpose and character -- make a difference in someone else's life. And if you do, you will lead richer lives, you will build a more hopeful nation, and you'll never be disappointed."

Nancy Pelosi at Webster University in St. Louis, Mo.: "At a time when some world leaders question the value of constructive dialogue with our adversaries, young people are engaged in their own international dialogue, on campuses and through e-mail, instant messaging and blogs. They are talking about their hopes for a brighter future -- of their desire for peace and prosperity."

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Posted at 2:27 PM
Posted to: Hillary Rodham Clinton, House, John Edwards, Mitt Romney, Tony Snow
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April 30, 2007

An Emotional Return For Snow

In his first "gaggle" with reporters after a month-long hiatus, White House press secretary Tony Snow held back tears as he thanked the press corps for their show of support after doctors found his cancer had returned nearly one month ago.

"I'll try not to choke up," Snow declared, pausing several times before smiling and giving a thumbs-up to the crowded room of journalists. "Everyone who does not believe that thoughts and prayers make a difference is just wrong.... You guys have been so wonderful."

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Posted at 10:30 AM
Posted to: Tony Snow
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March 27, 2007

Snow Diagnosed With Liver Cancer

After undergoing surgery yesterday in Washington, White House spokesman Tony Snow has been diagnosed with cancer in his liver and lower abdomen, Bloomberg News reports.

Snow was treated for colon cancer in 2005. Yesterday's surgery was to remove a growth discovered in a routine exam.

Deputy Press Secretary Dana Perino told reporters this morning that Snow "seemed in good spirits and had a request for the White House press corps: 'Don't bug him.'"

Posted at 10:43 AM
Posted to: Tony Snow
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March 23, 2007

Snow To Have Surgery For Growth

White House spokesman Tony Snow said today he is going to have a small growth in his lower abdomen removed next week, but warned reporters not to overreact, saying that the growth was not cancerous and he was having the procedure done "out of an aggressive sense of caution." Snow is a colon cancer survivor.

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Posted at 2:57 PM
Posted to: Tony Snow
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