Come Again?

Tony Snow Is Back at the White House, in a Job With More Questions Than Answers

The first time Tony Snow was agonizing over whether to leave journalism for the White House, he had lunch at the Army and Navy Club with William Safire.

"You must take this job," Snow recalls the New York Times columnist saying in 1991, "and when you do, I will write you an advice column."

But the advice column appeared the following Monday, touting Anthony Snow as a "hard hitter" with "independent right-wing credentials" who was Chief of Staff John Sununu's choice to be President Bush's speechwriting director.

Sununu quickly called to ask if this meant Snow had taken the job. "I guess it does," Snow said.

Fifteen years later, Snow has given up a lucrative television and radio career and taken on the challenge of speaking for the current President Bush. From the moment his appointment as press secretary was announced, Snow has sought out White House correspondents and listened to their suggestions about how he can improve relations between the Fourth Estate and an administration not known for embracing the press.

The president, while calling Snow a "nice guy," doesn't see a problem that needs repairing.

"I don't feel the friction, I really don't," Bush said in a brief interview. He said he was aware of "institutional friction" -- a top aide said he was referring to secrecy issues and leak investigations -- but not any personal difficulties.

"I understand the reporters have a job to do," the president said. "I talk to them every day. I don't like what they write, but they don't like what I say," he added, half jokingly.

Whether the new press secretary can have an impact, and whether Bush wants to further engage with those who make up what he calls "the filter" remains to be seen. But the former Fox News man, who began his new duties last week and is scheduled to hold his first televised briefing this week, is comfortable with his decision. "You play a much more vital role working for a president than sitting behind a mike hurling stones," he says. "I don't think too many people who write history books are going to devote specific chapters to radio, TV and other hosts."

The veteran pundit, who has spent his life spouting opinions but has never attempted the fine art of briefing, is the first to admit he's got a steep learning curve. He spent time at the White House watching outgoing spokesman Scott McClellan go through his paces. Snow also has to bone up on the dozens of foreign and domestic issues that could become part of his daily grilling.

"I'm sure the press will give me leeway for a short period of time," Snow says.

Clearly, the man is an optimist. At his first off-camera briefing Friday, complaints ranged from the overcrowded conditions in his office to his stumbling responses to certain questions.