Fox News pundit becomes White House press secretary

President Bush named an outspoken conservative talk show host as his press spokesman on Apr. 26, the latest move aimed at shaking up his staff and breathing life into his foundering presidency. Tony Snow, a Fox News radio and television pundit, is expected to bring an element of eloquence to the podium sorely lacking in Scott McClellan, the spokesman who announced his resignation last week after nearly three years on the job. Snow's Republican credentials are impeccable. He ran the editorial pages of the arch-conservative Washington Times before moving to the White House in 1991 as a speech writer for Bush's father. Since 1996 Snow has worked as a host and commentator for Fox News, and on occasion stood in for Rush Limbaugh on the most listened-to right wing radio show in the US. His appointment is part of a White House shake-up masterminded by Josh Bolten, Bush's new Chief of Staff. He is the first career journalist to serve in the position since President Gerald R. Ford tapped Ron Nessen, an NBC correspondent, in 1974. Snow has largely been supportive of the Bush administration, especially concerning its anti-terrorism efforts, but has occasionally criticized the president for deviating from conservative goals. Since the announcement of Snow's new position with the administration, the media has focused substantial attention on the fact that he had written that Bush had "become something of an embarrassment" with a "listless" domestic policy agenda. But the press and Snow himself haven't focused on the fact that this was very similar to a past scenario: Fifteen years ago, George H. W. Bush hired Snow as senior speech writer despite similarly harsh words about his presidency. In 1991, Snow called the senior Bush a "cipher" who "sold his party's soul." Snow also wrote that "the self-immolation of the Bush White House" was underway and that Bush himself was "an utterly removed head of state." Snow went on to become one of the elder Bush's favorite aides, and that could have played a role in his hiring by the current President Bush. His criticisms of the president may prove beneficial if they are seen as giving Snow credibility among the ever-skeptical White House press corps. The appointment of a prominent media figure may also indicate that the White House is focused on shaping the way Bush is portrayed in the mainstream media. Many analysts agree that the White House has appeared less concerned than previous administrations about influencing newspapers and network television. It has placed greater emphasis on reaching its core conservative supporters through such outlets as talk radio and cable TV. With fewer than 40 percent of voters approving of Bush's performance, the appointment of an accomplished TV personality may reflect a White House attempt to win over a broader segment of the population through the traditional national news media. The selection of the Fox News host has also reignited a debate about the network's political leanings. The Democratic National Committee took a swipe at the cable network, with spokeswoman Karen Finney calling Snow's hiring "an interdepartmental move from one part of the conservative infrastructure to another." Fox News anchors responded to the chatter about the White House tapping one of the network's own. "The joke has been all along, we've been hearing it all day on the radio and stuff, 'Tony's not really changing jobs; he's just changing buildings,'" Shepard Smith said on-air last week. "The conspiracy theories abound. They're baseless, of course. I promise." Snow's White House appointment reinforces for some the perception that Fox News is the go-to network for the administration. "Much of the public will say, 'Suspicions confirmed,'" said Robert Zelnick, chairman of Boston University's journalism department. William Kristol, who worked with Snow in the George H.W. Bush administration and was a regular panelist on "Fox News Sunday" when Snow anchored the show, invoked the Fox News slogan in an interview with the Washington Post saying: "It will be good to have a fair and balanced press secretary."