Despite great hype from admirers and expectations from people who weren’t his foes or supporters, White House Press spokesman Tony Snow is not presenting the kind of slick, convincing image (for nonpartisans) for President George W. Bush and his administration that many thought he would present.
He still seems somewhat tentative in his new role. Watch THIS CLIP and put aside any political feelings you have (for or against) Snow. He’s not comfortable in that job and is not handling the tough questions with grace. He doesn’t look like an in-control Fox News anchor anyore. He looks like a new press secretary with better hair.
Note that he’s awkwardly verbally sparing with Helen Thomas, using put-downs versus countering her questions and arguments. Snow perhaps listened to Bush’s “I’m the decider” comment too often since it sounds as if he’s doing his own riff on it. In the clip, Snow looks outright uncomfortable and seems to be straining to come up with convincing arguments. If he can’t respond to Helen Thomas better than in the clip linked above, he’s in for a very rocky ride in coming months.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.