Is White House spokesman the 'most useless' one ever?

Houston Chronicle ^ | February 23, 2007 | Julie Mason

[Dog Gone]

WASHINGTON — White House spokesman Tony Snow made a startling claim earlier this month, one that shed some light on changing perceptions about the job he's doing.

During a briefing, Snow responded to a question about climate change by noting that, "We're talking about nuclear development, which is now championed by, among others, Greenpeace."

Beg your pardon?

"I think there's some Greenpeace people who are certainly advocates of nuclear power," Snow said.

As whoppers go, that was a good one. Certainly, it was news to Greenpeace.

"Golly, you know, I can't believe the White House would get that wrong," said Jim Riccio, Greenpeace nuclear policy analyst. "Greenpeace was founded as an anti-nuclear organization, and we have been fighting nuclear weapons and their evil offspring, nuclear power, ever since."

White House reporters don't expect much from Snow, which goes part of the way toward explaining why his claim about Greenpeace went largely unremarked.

It's been less than a year since Snow started the job amid a clamor of hype — including claims by Snow and others at the White House that he would be in the room for the heavy policy stuff, with a voice and a role to play.

The former Fox News personality quickly established himself as a glib and energetic adversary for the press, sometimes short on information but strong with a comeback. He learned everyone's name and all their peccadillos.

These days, whatever honeymoon goodwill he had has largely worn off — and if Snow sticks around, he still has two years to go.

Reporters complain that Snow is frequently unprepared and that he personalizes encounters — Snow recently told CNN's Ed Henry to "calm down" during an exchange over White House claims that the Iranian government was behind explosives seized in Iraq.

Most damningly, by Washington standards, many reporters covering the White House don't believe Snow has the inner-circle role or the access he was promised.

A latecomer to the administration, Snow is an outsider in a famously insular operation. He is not one of the Texans, like Dan Bartlett, counselor to the president, that Bush turns to in meetings.

For his part, Snow says that he is in the room when it's appropriate, and that his evasions and tap-dancing are sometimes intentional.

"There are going to be times when for various reasons — national security, or sometimes even the propriety of dealing with other individuals in Washington and around the world — you are, in fact, going to clam up for a little while until others have had their chance to speak," he said.

At a forum this week at the National Press Club featuring Snow and a group of White House correspondents, a New York Times reporter half-jokingly called Snow "the most useless press secretary ever."

Snow says he's not sweating it, and waves off suggestions that there is animosity on either side.

"What you see quite often at the briefings are sharp exchanges," he said. "It's not personal."

Either way, Snow has redefined the role of White House press secretary, probably forever. During last year's campaigns, Snow was in demand as a speaker at Republican events — raising money for candidates and pushing the White House message.

He has also addressed Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill — a task usually reserved for high-ranking administration officials. He said he loves the job.

"It's not only a privilege, it's a whole lot of fun," he said.

After the forum at the National Press Club, Snow stood on the edge of the stage, signing autographs for members of the public.

julie.mason@chron.com

[4woodenboats]

BTTT

What do ya know, I got a response?

Actually, Tony does make it up. Patrick Moore left Greenpeace in 1986. He is now a paid spokesman for the nuclear power industry. Greenpeace is opposed to nuclear development.

Julie Mason

White House Correspondent

Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau

202-263-6519

So I sent her one back.....

So the fact that you left out of your article that it was the co-founder of Greenpeace that now embraces nuclear energy is supposed to make you less of a buffoon?

It certainley doesn't make you any less biased.

It's rather confusing to me, Mr. Average Reader, how you could hope to make a case for Tony being an idiot for saying some in greenpeace are for nuclear energy, -which the co founder obviously is- by cherry picking less experienced greenies.

Face it, you told 1/2 a story for the sole purpose of denigrating the White House Spokesman

That's Yellow Journalism.

A REAL journalist would have noted Patrick Moore's stance, so the reader could weigh that fact against your defamatory remarks.

That's Balanced Journalism.

I don't think you've got the hang of it yet.

[Dog Gone]

Nice job.

She never responded to my email, which I assume was the first she received. I made it before posting this thread.

[BlueAngel]

Hey, you're good!!!

[4woodenboats]

;~)

Thanks.