Posted on 08/17/2007 1:32:28 PM PDT by nuconvert
Financial pressures force Snow departure
By TERENCE HUNT, AP White House Correspondent
WASHINGTON - White House press secretary Tony Snow said Friday he'll leave sometime before the end of the Bush presidency because of financial pressures.
He declined to say when he would depart, but that, "I'm going to stay as long as I can."
The 52-year-old Snow, the father of three children, earns $168,000 as an assistant to the president but made considerably more as a conservative pundit and syndicated talk-show host on Fox News Radio. He was named press secretary on April 26, 2006.
The White House has been shaken by the resignations of some of President Bush's closest aides. Political strategist Karl Rove announced Monday that he would leave at the end of the month. Longtime Bush adviser Dan Bartlett left earlier this year and Andrew Card left earlier as Bush's chief of staff.
Bush's term ends on Jan. 20, 2009.
"I will not be able to make it to the end of this administration, just financially," Snow said. "This job has been such a pleasant surprise in how much I like it. I love it."
Snow has been undergoing chemotherapy after doctors discovered a recurrence of colon cancer in March. He said the last of eight scheduled chemotherapy treatments would be on Friday. On Monday he will have a CAT scan to evaluate his progress.
So is he leaving because his $168,000 government salary will not be enough to pay for his medical care or future medical care? How often do we hear the dems say that we want the same medical care for each american that the govt employees get.
I do too but maybe not for the reason you think. He is not looking well at all, he is losing weight and he is losing his hair and I think that he wants/needs to go home. I suspect the severity of his cancer has not been fully disclosed and he just wants to disappear without causing concern amongst his loyal fans..
One does not quit a job for financial reasons if they don't have another job lined up and if he had that job then he would have announced it.
My prayers go out to Tony and his family.......
You are a fool! Draconian bankruptcy reform? You must be an attorney, right?
He always has seemed uncomfortable in his role as White House spokesman...
I always felt that, as he was delibering the party line (which, of course, is his job to do), that he was always sort of winking at the irksome stuff....
...Like trying to justify Illegal immigration amnesty.....
It’ll be nice to hear him back on the outside.... hopefully he’ll go back on the air at FNC....
>>I had a two word response to your sensitive post about Tony Snow’s lying to poor little you, but I realized it will get me in the cooler again. It rhymes with “duck stew.”<<
You thought I was too sensitive? The man is long time Freeper with cancer. I would hope even the folks here who used to argue with him about immigration would be courteous.
>>You don’t live in DC. Greenspam’s game of inflating us out of our financial troubles has accelerated the costs of living in DC out of control. Trying to support a family of 3 on that kind of money is stressing enough without all the other pressures (including costs) that arise from working in the WH. Having to have new well tailored freshly pressed suits must cost him a bomb alone.<<
Somebody up thread said Tony had said that finances might limit his stay when he first went to DC. I didn’t know that when I posted.
>>I hope the thought is not foreign to you that a man would move heaven and earth to secure his family’s future, particularly when his own mortality has been tested twice in five years.<<
If he had said it was health related I would have just wished him well. It was saying it was for finances that didn’t match up to me given a 6 figure salary and the best health insurance anybody can get.
Not an attorney or someone who needs bankruptcy. Yes, draconian. You can see from the vast comments on the subject on FR that my opinion is in the majority.
Everything in this world isn't a conspiracy or ulterior motive due to President Bush.
You hit it right one the head.
I'm sure Snow has some financial advisors. Snow is not a poor man but not a rich man. In fact, he is border line for living in the DC area and those circles.
IMO, Snow is looking thin and tired. I admire him how he has kept up while going through kimo.
Smart move Tony. One of the best ever press secretaries.
>>Health insurance doesn’t assure a financial nest egg for a wife and three children when a man can no longer support the family via death or disability. Rather than being cynical, I would believe Snow wants to maximize his income potential because he knows his cancer is incurable.
Everything in this world isn’t a conspiracy or ulterior motive due to President Bush.<<
Of course you are right on that - and someone has posted that Tony mentioned financial concerns from the start.
If I had been less cynical I might have realized that Tony doesn’t seem to be counting on a financial payoff from his government post - and that is a rare and positive outlook.
But sadly, I do, in fact, have, a small cynical streak.
One of Tony’s best attributes is switching subjects in the middle of a series of questions. That is a tought job at which he is one of the best.
I thought he had colon cancer, not liver cancer
Remember, in the words of Patrick Ewing: “we make a lot, but we spend a lot.”
I may be wrong, but I believe that ALL federal employees have their choices from the same group of health plans.
Who says the White House is 'shaken' by this? I certainly haven't heard anyone from the White House say they were 'shaken'.
Sounds like someone has an agenda.
I’ve always liked this guy. I take him at his word and wish him well.
I am unaware of any employees, especially government employees, who are encouraged to publicly disagree with their bosses policies. I also do not know of any two politically active people who agree with each other on every single issue.
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