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Robert Anthony "Tony" Snow (born June 1, 1955) is the White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush. He succeeded Scott McClellan, becoming the third individual to serve in that position under President Bush. Snow also worked for President George H. W. Bush as chief speechwriter and Deputy Assistant of Media Affairs.

Between his two White House stints, Snow was a broadcaster and newspaper columnist. After years of regular guest-hosting for The Rush Limbaugh Show and providing news commentary for National Public Radio, he launched his own talk radio program, The Tony Snow Show, which went on to become nationally syndicated. He was also a regular personality on Fox News Channel since 1996, hosting Fox News Sunday, Weekend Live, and often substituting as host of The O'Reilly Factor.

On August 30th, Snow announced he will step down from his position on September 14th, 2007. He said he had taken a major pay cut to become press secretary and that he could no longer raise his family on $168,000 per year. His Deputy, Dana Perino will take over his job as the Secretary.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Snow
Eye To Eye: Tony Snow

Tony Snow, TV Personality / Government Official

Born: 1 June 1955

Birthplace: Berea, Kentucky

Best Known As: White House press secretary, 2006- 2007

Name at birth: Robert Anthony Snow

Robert Anthony "Tony" Snow, (born June 1, 1955) is the current White House Press Secretary for George W. Bush. He succeeded Scott McClellan, becoming the third individual to serve in that position under President Bush. It is the second Presidential administration in which Snow has been employed, having worked for President George H. W. Bush as chief speechwriter and Deputy Assistant of Media Affairs.

Between his two White House stints, Snow was a broadcaster and newspaper columnist. After years of regular guest-hosting for The Rush Limbaugh Show and providing news commentary for National Public Radio, he launched his own talk radio program, The Tony Snow Show, which went on to become nationally syndicated. He was also a regular personality on Fox News Channel since 1996, hosting Fox News Sunday, Weekend Live, and often substituting as host of The O'Reilly Factor.

Early life and family
Snow was born in Berea, Kentucky, and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. His father Jim taught social studies and was an assistant principal at Princeton High School in suburban Cincinnati, from which his son graduated. His mother was an inner-city nurse who died of colon cancer in 1973 when Snow was 17 years old. After graduating from Princeton High School in Sharonville, Ohio, Snow obtained his Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Davidson College in 1977.

Career
Early career
Snow began his journalism career in 1979 in newspapers as an editorial writer for The Greensboro Record in North Carolina, next working as an editorial writer at The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Virginia (1981-82), editorial page editor of The Daily Press in Newport News (1982-84), deputy editorial page editor of The Detroit News (1984-87) and editorial page editor of The Washington Times (1987-91). Also, The Detroit News published his commentary from 1993 to 2000, and he was a Counterpoint Columnist for USA Today from 1994 to 2000.

Snow also wrote a syndicated column for Creators Syndicate between 1993 and 2000. As a nationally syndicated columnist, his commentaries appeared in more than 200 newspapers nationwide. Snow won numerous awards during his print career, including citations from the Virginia Press Association, the Detroit Press Club, the Society of Professional Journalists, the American Society of Newspaper Editors, The Associated Press and Gannett.

He has appeared on radio and television programs worldwide including The McLaughlin Group, The MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour, Face the Nation, Crossfire, and Good Morning America. Until 1994, Snow was the writer, correspondent and host of a PBS news special, The New Militant Center, which anticipated some of the upsets that shook the political establishment.

In 1991, Snow took a sabbatical from journalism to work in the White House for President George H. W. Bush, first as chief speechwriter (Deputy Assistant to the President for Communications and Director of Speechwriting) and later as Deputy Assistant to the President for Media Affairs (1992-1993).

From 1996 to 2003, he served as the first host of FOX News Sunday, a Sunday morning interview and roundtable program produced by Fox News, airing on affiliates of the Fox Broadcasting Company and later in the day on Fox News Channel.

Snow served as the primary guest host of Rush Limbaugh's program from the mid-1990s on. He was also a frequent commentator on National Public Radio. Snow's own Tony Snow Show on Fox News Radio premiered in late 2003. It ended when he became White House Press Secretary in April 2006.

Return to the White House
In April 2006, Snow was named White House Press Secretary to replace Scott McClellan in the George W. Bush administration. His appointment to the position was formally announced on April 26, 2006. The position of White House Press Secretary has historically been filled by individuals from news media backgrounds.

His selection as press secretary was initially criticized because of some of his past comments about Bush.[1] Bush acknowledged Snow's prior criticisms during the announcement of his appointment, stating that Snow was "not afraid to express his own opinions."[2] In his new position, Snow will have input into the administration's policy debates, which was an unwavering requirement for him to take the job.

Snow began his new press secretary duties on May 8, 2006.

Illness
Snow, having suffered for years from ulcerative colitis,[3] was at an increased risk for colon cancer. In February, 2005, this risk proved real, as he developed cancer in his colon.[4] After having his colon removed, he returned to work in April 2005. On Friday, March 23, 2007, Snow announced that he would be undergoing surgery the following Monday to remove and investigate an abdominal growth.[5] On March 27, 2007, the White House announced that the growth was cancerous and had metastasized. [6][7][8] In Snow's absence, the press briefings began to be covered by Deputy Dana Perino. On April 21, 2007, Snow made an appearance at the annual White House Correspondent's Association Dinner, where he introduced a joking tape by David Letterman. Snow returned to work on April 30, 2007. On Saturday, May 12, 2007, Snow delivered the Commencement Address for the Catholic University of America, in Washington, D.C., where he was presented with a degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.

Music
Snow is an avid musician. He plays the flute, saxophone and guitar, and belongs to a cover band, Beats Workin', which features fellow Washington-area professionals. Beats Workin has played publicly with a number of rock bands, including Snow's friends Skunk Baxter (The Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan) and Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull. He was featured on an episode of VH1 Classic's "Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp."
http://www.answers.com/topic/tony-snow

tony snow plays the blues

President Announces Tony Snow as Press Secretary
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/04/20060426.html

Looking closer at Snow's history
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/08/05/INVKR9LLS1.DTL

Snow a 'larger-than-life kind of guy'

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/27/cancer.snow.roberts/index.html

Bush names Fox pundit as new spokesman
Snow has been critical of administration in the past; replaces McClellan
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12486665/
WASHINGTON - President Bush on Wednesday named Tony Snow, a conservative pundit who has nonetheless been critical of the administration, as his press secretary — the latest move in Bush’s effort to remake his troubled White House.

“He sometimes has disagreed with me,” Bush said of Snow’s comments in print and television. Bush said he had asked Snow about those comments, and got this response from Snow: “You should have heard what I said about the other guy.”

Snow, 50, replaces Scott McClellan, who stepped down in a White House personnel shuffle intended to re-energize Bush’s presidency, bring in new faces and lift the president’s record-low approval ratings. McClellan had served as Bush’s chief spokesman — the most prominent public figure in the White House after Bush — for nearly three years.

Snow, a Fox News commentator and speech-writer in the White House under Bush’s father, has written and spoken frequently about the current president — not always in a complimentary way. While Snow is an experienced Washington hand, he is an outsider when it comes to Bush’s tight core of advisers.

Snow thanked Bush for the job and told reporters: “Believe it or not, I want to work with you.”

Bush also addressed reporters directly, joking that “Tony already knows most of you and he’s agreed to take the job anyway.”

McClellan said Snow planned to start the week of May 8 but would not begin conducting the daily press briefings for several days. McClellan said he had not decided on departure date yet, but would have some overlap with Snow.

‘Bush ... an embarrassment’
The Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank, circulated unflattering observations by Snow about Bush.

“His (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,” Snow wrote last November after Republicans failed to win the governor’s race in Virginia. “The newly passive George Bush has become something of an embarrassment.”

Last month, Snow wrote that Bush and the Republican Congress had “lost control of the federal budget and cannot resist the temptation to stop raiding the public fisc. (treasury)”

Snow, in an Associated Press interview on Tuesday, said: “It’s public record. I’ve written some critical stuff. When you’re a columnist, you’re going to criticize and you’re going to praise.”

White House take
Unofficially, the White House tried to put the best face on Snow’s criticism, suggesting it showed that the administration listens to different voices and noting that Snow’s job called for him to be opinionated.

One factor in Snow’s decision was that he had his colon removed last year and underwent six months of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with cancer. He had a CAT scan last week and delayed a decision while he consulted with his doctors.

Snow is the host of the “Tony Snow Show” on Fox News Radio and “Weekend Live with Tony Snow on the Fox News Channel.

He served in the administration of President George H.W. Bush as White House speechwriting director and later as a deputy assistant to the president for media affairs.

Fleischer weighs in
Bush’s first press secretary, Ari Fleischer, said Snow and other staff changes offer the chance to show Americans that ”something new may come from the White House” and that Bush deserves a second look.

“Tony is now going to be the voice of that story. That can help the president. But ultimately it still comes down to two huge issues. One, is the president receiving credit for the boom in the economy, and two, increased calm in Iraq,” he said.

“Tony can surely help with the first. The second will be driven by events on the ground,” Fleischer said.

Why Bush Chose Tony Snow as His New Spokesman
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1187608,00.html
The White House plans to announce Wednesday morning that Tony Snow, the conservative commentator and Fox News host, will succeed Scott McClellan as White House press secretary, according to a senior administration official and an official close to Snow.
Snow has talked to President Bush and was assured he will have "a seat at the table and all the access he wants and needs, including walk-in privileges and all that," the official said. The official said McClellan plans to "warmly welcome" Snow and be "very helpful" to him in the transition. McClellan, nearing three years at the podium, said when he announced his resignation last week that he would stay on for two or three weeks' work with his successor.

The official said Josh Bolten — who has carried out a swift White House makeover since taking over as chief of staff on the afternoon of April 14 — and Counselor Dan Bartlett view the selection of Snow as a key part of giving a new wind to a White House that has suffered repeated seatbacks. "They need a big name to turn heads and send a message to the press that we care enough to put a big player here who cares enough about this job to give up a lot to take it," the official said.

Snow, 50, had his colon removed when he was diagnosed with cancer last year and left his weekday radio show and weekend television show to undergo chemotherapy. But his oncologist approved him to take the grueling White House post, joking that the job wouldn't give him cancer, although it might give him heartburn, according to a friend of Snow.

The official said Snow is elated and honored, and feels like he is �coming home again� since he served President George H.W. Bush as director of speechwriting and deputy director of media affairs.

Snow has occasionally been critical of the President, and liberal groups began gleefully circulating nettlesome quotes to reporters on Tuesday. Media Matters for America put together a cheeky "Suggested questions for the White House press corps to ask on Tony Snow's first day." A column by Snow last September, at the height of the Hurricane Katrina fallout, said: "Begin with the wimp factor. No president has looked this impotent this long when it comes to defending presidential powers and prerogatives.... His presidential report card already shows an A' on foreign policy, but with the exceptions of tax policy and judicial selections, he remains a domestic-policy cipher. It's now up to him to decide whether he will complete his term by earning an A, an F or an incomplete."

Snow is host of The Tony Snow Show on Fox News Radio, and his web site urges listeners to join the radio revolution by supporting him. He also is a host of Weekend Live on Fox News Channel, and was the first host of Fox News Sunday, from 1996 to 2003. That program is celebrating its 10th anniversary this week.

In a series of on-air appearances since news leaked that he was being considered for the job, Snow made it clear he was contemplating the job, and even hinted that he would take it. Asked about it one day on his show, he said with a laugh, I'm being deliberately coy. If nothing else, it's good practice. Snow said on The O'Reilly Factor that he was concerned about the loss of family time and the massive cut in pay.

The upside is that for somebody like me who's been a pundit for many years, you sit around and you think about the way the world should be, Snow continued. You become part of something that's very rare, which is an inner White House circle, where you've got to make decisions... So there is something that has a sort of perverse attraction, which is it's a meaty, substantive job with real responsibilities.

His Fox News bio notes that he plays flute, alto flute, soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax and guitar. He has worked as an advocate for the mentally ill and the developmentally disabled in North Carolina, taught physics and East African geography in Kenya, and has been a substitute teacher in subjects ranging from calculus to seventh-grade art.

Robert Anthony Snow was born in Berea, Ky., and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy in 1977 from Davidson College in Davidson, N.C. He did graduate work in philosophy and economics at the University of Chicago. He was born June 1, 1955. He and his wife, Jill, married in 1987, have three children and lots of pets. They live in Fairfax County and have a weekend house on the Eastern Shore.

Here are his career highlights, from a White House biography released when he worked in the George H.W. Bush administration: He began his journalism career as an editorial writer at the Greensboro Record in Greensboro, N.C., in 1979, then was an editorial writer at the Virginian Pilot in Norfolk from 1981-82, editorial page editor of the Daily Press in Newport News, Va., from 1982-84, deputy editorial page editor of the Detroit News, which at the time was known for having one of the most conservative editorial pages of any metropolitan dailies in the country, from 1984-87; then became editorial page editor of the Washington Times, which received local, regional and national awards under his leadership.

Snow was named Deputy Assistant to the President for Communications and Speechwriting in 1991, and Deputy Assistant to the President for Media Affairs in 1992. His syndicated column has appeared in newspapers such as the Dallas Morning News, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Sun-Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Now that Snow is leaving what the President has called "the punditry," he will be making news instead of reporting it.

Tony Snow’s abdominal growth cancerous
White House spokesman, colon cancer survivor, underwent surgery Monday
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17813246/

WASHINGTON - Presidential spokesman Tony Snow's malignant cancer has returned and spread to his liver and elsewhere in his body, shaken White House colleagues announced Tuesday. They said he told them he planned to fight the disease and return to work.

"He is not going to let this whip him, and he's upbeat," President Bush said of his press secretary. "And so my message to Tony is, 'Stay strong; a lot of people love you and care for you and will pray for you.'"

Snow, 51, had his colon removed in 2005 and underwent six months of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with colon cancer. He underwent surgery on Monday to remove a growth in his abdominal area, near the site of the original cancer.

Doctors determined the growth was cancerous and the cancer had metastasized, or spread, to the liver.

Initial reports
The news rocked the White House. Snow had gone into the surgery saying he felt fine, and recent blood tests and imaging scans had indicated no return of cancer. He had said he opted to remove the growth out of "aggressive sense of caution."

A former radio and TV commentator, Snow brought his star power and camera-ready charm to a beleaguered White House last May. He quickly became the public face of Bush's daily communications and has spoken openly - and emotionally - about being a cancer survivor.

He had recently reached the two-year mark of being free of cancer.

"He told me that he beat this thing before," said White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino, "and he intends to beat it again."

It is common for colon cancer patients to suffer a recurrence of cancer, particularly in the liver. Medical experts say advances in chemotherapy can allow people with the type of cancer Snow has to return to work and good health for years.

But experts declined to speculate on Snow specifically because many details of his condition are unknown. Among the unanswered questions are how far the cancer spread, how extensive the cancer in his liver is, and whether it can be surgically removed if it hasn't been already.

"This is a very treatable condition," said Dr. Allyson Ocean, a gastrointestinal oncologist at Weill Cornell Medical College. "Many patients, because of the therapies we have, are able to work and live full lives with quality while they're being treated. Anyone who looks at this as a death sentence is wrong."

Emotional announcement
Perino said Snow is feeling fine after his surgery and has pledged to fight the disease aggressively, likely with chemotherapy but perhaps with other treatments as well. He will be in the hospital recovering from the surgery, a major procedure, for about a week.

Perino broke into tears as she informed reporters Tuesday morning. She said Snow also gave her some instructions to pass on to reporters: "Tell them not to bug me." Throughout the day, lawmakers and members of the public sent good wishes to the White House.

Among them was Sen. John Edwards, a presidential candidate whose wife, Elizabeth, learned last week that her breast cancer had returned in an incurable but treatable form. Snow had publicly lauded her that day for dealing with her cancer without fear. At the time of those comments, Snow knew he was about to undergo more surgery of his own, although he did not know what the tests would show.

"Tony has been an incredible example for people living with cancer and cancer survivors," John Edwards said Tuesday.

Cancer survival
Some 153,760 Americans will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year, and more than 52,000 will die of the disease.

How long they survive depends on how much of the liver is affected, and how many other parts of the body are, too

In a small proportion of patients, the liver cancer is limited to a small enough area that it can be cut out. If surgery is not an option, doctors may try to curb the cancer's spread through the liver with radiofrequency ablation, using radiofrequency energy to blast the tumors.

Chemotherapy is a mainstay when the cancer has spread to more than one site, with the hope of controlling, even shrinking, tumors to prolong life.

It was unclear if or when Snow would return to his duties. Perino is leading the news briefings in his absence, which had been expected to be several weeks even before the discovery that his cancer had come back.

Snow and his wife, Jill, have three children, 10, 11 and 14.

"Tony Snow loves this job," Perino said. "He says it is the best job he's ever had in his life. He, in fact, has called it Communications Disneyland. And I think his intention, of course, is to come back. The president wants to have him back."

Snow Vows To Beat Cancer Again
White House Press Secretary Says Colon Cancer Has Returned And Spread To His Liver
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/27/politics/main2611921.shtml
Presidential spokesman Tony Snow's cancer has returned and spread to his liver and elsewhere in his body, shaken White House colleagues announced Tuesday. They said he told them he planned to fight the disease and return to work.

"He is not going to let this whip him, and he's upbeat," President Bush said of his press secretary. "And so my message to Tony is, 'Stay strong; a lot of people love you and care for you and will pray for you.'"

Snow, 51, had his colon removed in 2005 and underwent six months of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with colon cancer. He underwent surgery on Monday to remove a growth in his abdominal area, near the site of the original cancer.

Doctors determined the growth was cancerous and the cancer had metastasized, or spread, to the liver.

The cancer has attached to the liver but is not in the liver, White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino said.

The news rocked the White House. Snow had gone into the surgery saying he felt fine, and recent blood tests and imaging scans had indicated no return of cancer. He had said he opted to remove the growth out of "aggressive sense of caution."

A former radio and TV commentator, Snow brought his star power and camera-ready charm to a beleaguered White House last May. He quickly became the public face of Bush's daily communications and has spoken openly — and emotionally — about being a cancer survivor.

He had recently reached the two-year mark of being free of cancer.

"He told me that he beat this thing before," said Perino, "and he intends to beat it again."

It is common for colon cancer patients to suffer a recurrence of cancer, and the most common site is the liver. Medical experts say advances in chemotherapy can allow people with the type of cancer Snow has to return to work and good health for years.

But experts declined to speculate on Snow specifically because many details of his condition are unknown. Among the unanswered questions are how far the cancer spread, how extensive the cancer affecting his liver is, and whether the cancer can be surgically removed if it hasn't been already.

"This is a very treatable condition," said Dr. Allyson Ocean, a gastrointestinal oncologist at Weill Cornell Medical College. "Many patients, because of the therapies we have, are able to work and live full lives with quality while they're being treated. Anyone who looks at this as a death sentence is wrong."

Researchers are developing an arsenal of weapons against cancer, the most promising of which are targeted drug therapies, reports CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook. Instead of blasting the entire body with chemotherapy or radiation, targeted therapies hone in on the cancer cells while leaving normal cells relatively unharmed.

"For each tumor we believe there is a critical Achilles heel," says Dr. Robert Weinberg, a cancer researcher at MIT's Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. "And if we attack the Achilles heel, we can kill the tumor."

Weinberg adds, "The war on cancer is not going to be won with one dramatic victory. It's a lot of small skirmishes, so that cancer in many cases will one day become a chronic and quite bearable disease rather than one that threatens death."

Perino said Snow is feeling fine after his surgery and has pledged to fight the disease aggressively, likely with chemotherapy but perhaps with other treatments as well. He will be in the hospital recovering from the surgery, a major procedure, for about a week.

Perino broke into tears as she spoke to reporters Tuesday morning. She said Snow also gave her some instructions to pass on to reporters: "Tell them not to bug me." Throughout the day, lawmakers and members of the public sent good wishes to the White House.

Among them was Sen. John Edwards, a presidential candidate whose wife, Elizabeth, learned last week that her breast cancer had returned in an incurable but treatable form. Snow had publicly lauded her that day for dealing with her cancer without fear. At the time of those comments, Snow knew he was about to undergo more surgery of his own, although he did not know what the tests would show.

"Tony has been an incredible example for people living with cancer and cancer survivors," John Edwards said Tuesday.

Some 153,760 Americans will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year, and more than 52,000 will die of the disease.

Chemotherapy is a mainstay when the cancer has spread to more than one site, with the hope of controlling, even shrinking, tumors to prolong life.

Snow sent word that he intends to return to the White House and that his job is still very much on his mind, reports CBS News senior White House correspondent Bill Plante. His deputy says he's still focused on the president's battles with Congress and that he gave his staff marching orders for the day.

Perino is leading the news briefings in his absence, which had been expected to be several weeks even before the discovery that his cancer had come back.

Snow and his wife, Jill, have three children, 10, 11 and 14.

"Tony Snow loves this job," Perino said. "He says it is the best job he's ever had in his life. He, in fact, has called it 'Communications Disneyland.' And I think his intention, of course, is to come back. The president wants to have him back."

Snow says his health is improving
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/08/30/snow-says-his-health-is-improving/
WASHINGTON (CNN) – While remaining coy about exactly when he plans to leave his post, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow told CNN Thursday his health is improving, citing two new medical tests this month which found the cancer has not spread beyond his colon.

"The tumors are stable — they are not growing," Snow said of the results from an MRI and a Cat Scan. "And there are no new growths. The health is good."

The press secretary, whose hair has turned gray during chemotherapy treatment, said his black hair is expected to grow back in about a month. "I'm also putting on weight again," he said after returning from a 10-day vacation. "I actually feel very good about" the health situation.

Snow added he has an appointment Friday with his oncologist where they will decide on some minor forms of chemotherapy to start as maintenance treatment.

Snow, who has previously said he will leave his post before the end of President Bush's second term, repeated that the decision is based on finances and not health. He took a major pay cut after leaving the world of cable television and talk radio to come to the White House in the spring of 2006.

The press secretary again refused to be precise about his departure date. "When I have something to announce, I'll announce it," he said.

Snow to leave White House

White House spokesman Tony Snow stepping down
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSWBT00749120070831?src=083107_1213_DOUBLEFEATURE_snow_stepping_down

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush on Friday announced the resignation of his press secretary Tony Snow, a former television commentator admired for his skill at sparring with reporters and who is battling cancer.

Bush picked Snow's deputy, Dana Perino, to replace him when he leaves in two weeks. Perino, 35, will become only the second woman to hold that high-profile position in the White House.

Bush stopped in the White House press room before heading to the Pentagon to pay tribute to Snow, who is credited with livening up the daily news briefings with reporters.

"It's been a joy to watch him spar with you," Bush said.

Snow, 52, learned in March that the colon cancer he had fought earlier had recurred and has undergone chemotherapy.

But he said his decision to leave was for financial, not health, reasons. "I ran out of money," said Snow, who earned much more in his former job as a Fox News commentator than at his government salary of $168,000 a year.

"We took out a loan when I came to the White House, and that loan is now gone. So I'm going to have to pay the bills," said Snow, who is married with three children.

Snow said that his health has been fine and that tests have not indicated any growth in tumors or any new tumors.

"Right now I'm feeling great. I've finally put weight back on. I feel strong," he said, adding that his thinning hair would come back.

Snow expressed admiration for the White House press corps while noting the often-adversarial relationship reporters have with press secretaries.

He joked with veteran White House reporter Helen Thomas that he someday wants to be sitting in the front row, as she does, "making life a living hell for a press secretary."

Bush said that Perino, who has often filled in for Snow when he has been away, is someone who could "spell out the issues of the day in a way that people listening on TV can understand."

"She can handle all of you," he said.

But Perino, who is petite, said Snow left very big shoes to fill and joked, "I only wear a size 6."

The only other woman to serve as White House press secretary was Dee Dee Myers, under former President Bill Clinton.

Snow said he plans to give speeches and stay involved in politics. He said he wants to raise awareness about cancer.

"I don't know what he's going to do, I'm not sure he does yet either," Bush said. "One, he'll battle cancer and win, and secondly he'll be a solid contributor to society."

Snow is the latest in a string of high-level White House officials to depart.

Friday was the last day at work for senior White House adviser Karl Rove. Snow described Rove's final senior staff meeting this morning as emotional.

White House counselor Dan Bartlett, another longtime Bush adviser from Texas, left earlier this year.

PRESS SEC TONY SNOW LEAVING THE WHITE HOUSE!

Tony Snow Announces White House Departure
Press Secretary Says He Needs To Make More Money; Dana Perino Will Replace Him
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/08/31/politics/main3224765.shtml
Tony Snow, the highly visible White House press secretary, will leave his job on Sept. 14 and be replaced by his deputy, Dana Perino.

"It's been joy to watch him spar with you," President Bush told the White House press corps in the briefing room Friday.

"I sadly accept his desire to leave the White House," Mr. Bush said.

Snow, who's battling cancer, had said recently he would leave before the end of Mr. Bush's presidency. The father of three children, Snow said he needs to make more than his White House salary of $168,000. He could earn far more money on the speechmaking circuit.

"He's smart. He's capable. He's witty. He's able to talk about issues in a way that the American people can understand," Mr. Bush said. "I don't know what he's going to do. I'm not sure he does yet, either.

"But whatever it is ... it's going to be two things - one, he'll battle cancer and win, and secondly, he'll be a solid contributor to society."

The 52-year-old Snow was a conservative pundit and syndicated talk-show host on Fox News Radio before he was named press secretary on April 26, 2006.

"This job has really been a dream for me, a real blast," Snow said at Friday's press briefing.

Snow has been undergoing chemotherapy after doctors discovered a recurrence of colon cancer in March. He said recent tests have revealed no new cancerous tumors.

Snow said his current plans are to give speeches, write, and otherwise stay visible in the political arena, as well as to speak about his cancer experience. "It's proved to be helpful to people," he said.

He is the latest in a string of White House officials to head for the exits.

Friday was the last day of work for political strategist Karl Rove. Others who have left since Democrats won control of Congress are counselor Dan Bartlett, chief White House attorney Harriet Miers, budget director Rob Portman, political director Sara Taylor, deputy national security adviser J.D. Crouch and Meghan O'Sullivan, another deputy national security adviser who worked on Iraq.

In 2005, Snow had his colon removed and underwent six months of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with cancer. This March, he underwent surgery to remove a growth in his abdominal area, near the site of the original colon cancer. Doctors determined it was a recurrence of his cancer.

He was out of work for five weeks, then returned and underwent chemotherapy, treatments that only recently concluded and have left him thinner, grayer and with less hair.

Snow earned his stripes within the White House for his striking popularity around the country, relentlessly good-natured and bright tone, and smooth, snappy repartee with the media during briefings. Reporters, though, grumbled that an emphasis on showmanship too often took precedence over rhetorical precision and careful preparation.

Some senior White House aides referred to his briefings as "The Tony Snow Show."

Snow was President Bush's third chief spokesman in just over six years that have been marked by increasingly tense relations between the White House and the reporters who cover it.

Snow had little experience as a press secretary before joining the White House team. He worked in the White House under Mr. Bush's father as a speechwriting director and spokesman for regional issues. As a pundit, he had been sharply critical of Mr. Bush at times.

He held several print journalism positions, mostly working for newspaper opinion pages, and was most recently the host of the "Tony Snow Show" on Fox News Radio and "Weekend Live with Tony Snow" on the Fox News Channel.

Perino, 35, has been Snow's principal deputy, filling in for him when he was away after surgery and at other times.

On taking over the job, Perino remarked, "He leaves very big shoes to fill, and I'm only a size 6."

Before joining the press office, she worked as associate director of communications at the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

White House Press Secretary Snow Resigns
Ailing White House Press Secretary Tony Snow Resigns; Deputy Dana Perino Takes His Place
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=3546311
President Bush named a new press secretary on Friday, replacing the high-profile showman Tony Snow with his quieter, stickler-for-detail deputy, Dana Perino.

Snow, 52, battling cancer, said he was stepping down because he needed to earn more than his $168,000 White House salary an amount far less than he made as host of the "Tony Snow Show" on Fox News Radio and "Weekend Live with Tony Snow" on the Fox News Channel. "I ran out of money," said Snow, the father of three

Perino, 35, will be only the second woman to be White House press secretary when she takes over Sept. 14. The first was Dee Dee Myers in the Clinton administration. With a reputation for being thorough and getting back to reporters with questions, Perino temporarily became the public face of the White House when Snow was out of work for five weeks after a recurrence of cancer in March.

"He leaves very big shoes to fill, and I only wear a size 6," said Perino, who is "almost 5-feet-1."

Snow was named press secretary on April 26, 2006, and White House officials were delighted with his striking popularity around the country, relentlessly good-natured and bright tone, and smooth, snappy repartee with the media during televised briefings. He often played to the cameras, waving his arms and making funny faces at questions he didn't like.

His briefings were known even among White House officials as the "Tony Snow Show."

While Snow had blistered Bush with criticism at times as a pundit and talk show host, he was relentlessly loyal as his press secretary.

"It's been a joy to watch him spar with you," Bush told the White House press corps in the briefing room. "He's smart, he's capable, he's witty."

Snow's quick-from-the-lip answers sometimes got him in trouble. "I used a dumb line," he acknowledged after justifying a monthlong recess for Iraqi lawmakers because "it's 130 degrees in Baghdad in August." He backtracked after it was pointed out that U.S. troops didn't get a break from the summer heat. In another prominent instance, Snow had to retreat after blaming Kansas' Democratic governor, Kathleen Sebelius, for a slow response to a devastating tornado on May 4 in Greensburg, Kan.

Snow said cancer was not a factor in his departure.
In 2005, Snow had his colon removed and underwent six months of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with cancer. This March, he underwent surgery to remove a growth in his abdominal area, near the site of the original colon cancer. Doctors determined it was a recurrence of his cancer.

After surgery and a five-week absence, he returned to the White House and underwent chemotherapy. The treatments left him thinner, grayer and with less hair but he retained his high energy and eagerness for briefings.

Snow was the latest in a string of White House officials to head for the exits. Friday was the last day of work for political strategist Karl Rove.

Snow was Bush's third chief spokesman in just over six years. Perino is a former Capitol Hill aide who worked briefly as a television reporter in Champaign, Ill., handled publicity for technology companies, served as a Justice Department press aide and was associate director of communications at the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

"There is no one better suited, in the sense she has earned the complete trust of the president, is well-known and regarded within the White House, has well-established relations with the press and has a good TV presence," said former press secretary Scott McClellan, who brought her to the press office.

TONY SNOW WHITE HOUSE DAILY BRIEFING AUG 30, 2007