http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/12/obit.snow/index.html Former White House spokesman Tony Snow dies WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former White House press secretary Tony Snow -- who once told reporters "I'm a very lucky guy" -- died at the age of 53 early Saturday after a second battle with cancer. Snow, who had been undergoing chemotherapy treatments for a recurrence of the disease, left his White House job September 14, 2007, and joined CNN in April as a conservative commentator. President Bush said Saturday that he and first lady Laura Bush were "deeply saddened" by Snow's death. "The Snow family has lost a beloved husband and father. And America has lost a devoted public servant and a man of character," the president said in a statement. "It was a joy to watch Tony at the podium each day." Snow's successor, White House press secretary Dana Perino, said, "The White House is so deeply saddened by this loss. He was a great friend and colleague and a fantastic press secretary. And his dear family is in our thoughts and prayers." In 2007, Chief of Staff Josh Bolten had told senior White House staffers that unless they could commit to staying until Bush leaves office in January 2009, they should leave by Labor Day 2007, so Snow resigned. In parting comments to reporters at his final White House news conference, Snow said, "I feel great." He also called the job "the most fun I've ever had." Snow said he was leaving the White House position to make more money for his family. His White House salary was $168,000. Snow was first diagnosed with colon cancer in February 2005. His colon was removed, and after six months of treatment, doctors said the cancer was in remission. A recurrence of the illness was diagnosed 11 months after he began the White House media job, and he underwent five weeks of treatment before resuming his daily briefings to the press corps. He was greeted with applause upon his return. "Not everybody will survive cancer," Snow told the reporters, "but on the other hand, you have got to realize you've got the gift of life, so make the most of it. That is my view, and I'm going to make the most of my time with you." Perino announced March 27, 2007, that Snow's cancer had recurred, and said doctors had removed a growth from his abdomen the day before. Bush tapped Snow to replace Scott McClellan in April 2006. Snow had been an anchor for "Fox News Sunday" and a political analyst for Fox News Channel, which he joined in 1996. He also hosted "The Tony Snow Show" on Fox News Radio. Snow took a significant pay cut to take the job of press secretary and talked publicly about the financial sacrifices he made. He explained he felt he needed to make more money to help his family, which included children readying for college. Snow was known for his candor. In a November 11, 2005, column, Snow wrote that Bush's "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," Snow's column said. "I asked him about those comments," joked the president at the time of Snow's appointment. "And he said, 'You should have heard what I said about the other guy.'" Bush said Snow's long career as a journalist helped him understand "the importance of the relationship between government and those whose job it is to cover the government." Robert Anthony Snow was born June 1, 1955, in Berea, Kentucky, and was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. When he was 17, his mother died of colon cancer. She was 38. After receiving a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Davidson College near Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1977, Snow pursued graduate work in philosophy and economics at the University of Chicago. He worked as an editorial writer and editor at several newspapers, including The Washington Times and the Detroit News. He wrote a column in Detroit, and later wrote a syndicated column. Snow joined the administration of Bush's father, George H.W. Bush, in 1991, first as chief speech writer and later as deputy assistant to the president for media affairs. Snow became a television personality when he launched his news shows on Fox in 1993. When he returned to work April 30, 2007, after the second cancer diagnosis, a usually articulate and loquacious Snow stumbled to find words. "You never anticipate this stuff," he said. "It just happens." "I want to thank you all. It really meant the world to me. Anybody who does not not believe that thoughts and prayers make a difference, they're just wrong." He then prefaced a discussion of his health by saying, "I'm a very lucky guy." Outside of work, Snow played the guitar, saxophone and flute, and was in a band called Beats Workin' with other Washington professionals. Snow is survived by his wife, Jill Walker, and three children.
Why "before?" He remained the same decent, intelligent man who thought for himself and articulated those thoughts with an eloquence not heard since Eric Severeid. I know I will miss him. Thanks Lord for this good soul. Please take good care of him.
Without going into detail, I lost a bit of respect for him while he served Bush. I guess being a press secretary forces one to compromise integrity, especially in this White House. Still, he was a good, thoughtful, articulate guy and the media needs more like him.
RIP to one of the few media types that I actually enjoyed watching. I always found him to be articulate, informative and entertaining. The media lost a valuable member of their ranks. RIP Tony Snow.
R.I.P. I always liked Tony Snow. I thought he was a good media guy, and even enjoyed his little cracks at the press as press secretary.
If you choose to be a lying dip**** when you're alive, you will always be a lying dip**** once you are dead. Respect is earned; you don't get people's opinion of you cleansed from just passing on. Now I'm not going to tell his family that, I feel for their loss. But this is just an opinion board.
Well, normally I would agree with Lil Pun, that in a time of death, ones politics shouldn’t matter. But when you have a president that has sent 4,000+ Americans and many more Iraqi civilians to their death, and you still have people who, to this day, continue to defend that. Its hard for me to look at someone who defended that day in and day out and say that because he died, the things he said shouldn’t matter as if his life is more important then the soldiers that have died. I mean why don’t we go back and start a thread for everyone that has died as a result of this war? Anyway im done, Sorry for his family but that’s about it.
RIP... I was going to suggest this shouldnt be in the D&D. apparently some people take 'debate' way too seriously
You are an idiot. Was it Tony Snow's war? Look I don't Like GWB anymore than you all, but it is sickening that you are evaluating the death of a man by the gravity of the politicking that surrounded him. Get some *****ing perspective. If you hate Bush that's fine. If you think Tony Snow is somehow an accomplice to the injustice of this war, and that his death should be downplayed because 'others have died', that is a gross cross-breeding of ignorant disrespect and narcissistic judgement on irrelevant terms. Aside from the fact that the man was only a press secretary and it wasn't his war, perform some moral triage here. What's more important than human life? You are ignorant, short sighted and self involved for suggesting that this war is a unique extenuating circumstance to forgo the normal requisite of reverence and respect for the passing of an accomplished, intelligent, honest human (or any human for that matter). /rant Sorry, but I knew this type of response was inevitable. RIP Tony Snow
How is this different than you setting your caveats in the Ted Kennedy thread? I'm not comparing the two specifically, but if Dubious and A_3PO have moral objections to liars, and the white house press secretary is basically a proffessional liar/deflector, then why is it different for them than it is for you? I mean, unless you were there in the car with Kennedy, you don't know what actually happened, but you look at what is known and made a decision about Kennedy, just like these 2 guys made a decision on Snow. And before this devolves into a who's worse or better, Kennedy or Snow, I'm not comparing the 2 in any way, I'm comparing thumbs to Dubious and A_3PO.
The bolded word above is the problem with this post and much of this thread. His family and friends have my sympathy and I hope he rests in peace. But he was not an honest man and his dishonesty had significant consequences, certainly including aiding and abetting in unnecessary loss of life. As it was in the Helms thread, I'm more than fine with mourning loss of life and offering condolences to loved ones, no matter the record of the deceased. But when it comes to honoring people who have participating in doing great damage to our nation, to rewriting history such that they come off as great public servants, it gets a little gross.
When Ted Kennedy dies, I will have nothing ill to say even though there is a huge difference between being a reporter who for a short time was a presidential shill and being a wanton philanderer who avoided manslaughter charges due to his name.
Batman, his "honesty" and the Iraq War are not linked. He had nothing to do with the war. He was in favor of fighting the war in Iraq, but, originally, so was I. There were quite a number of Democrats and Republics who can be tarred with "aiding and abetting in unnecessary loss of life" because they voted to do it. Simply holding an opinion, right or wrong, does not make you responsible for "doing great damage to our nation." With that criterion JFK was in the same league because he sent 16,000 troops to Vietnam to touch off the whole conflagration. Just say "I condemn him and loathe him for being a conservative" and be done with it. That would be the correct sequitur.
