Full Court Press
Tony Snow came back to work today, and immediately insisted that the White House had never claimed there was a link between 9/11 and Iraq. I’m not even going to dignify that horrific lie with a response, but I am a bit worried about Snow’s return.
I’m very glad that Snow is healthy enough to return to his job. I am certainly not trying to suggest that his return is a cynical move on the part of a sinking Bush administration. It’s clear that Snow loves his job, and that passion may help him in his recovery. But I am concerned that reporters will go easier on Snow now that he’s back, not that most of them are particularly hard on him anyway.
Here’s the thing: If Tony Snow is healthy enough to be back at work, he’s healthy enough to deal with the pressure of being the Press Secretary. Pressure from the press is an integral part of the job, and Snow would have factored that into his decision to return. Now granted, that hasn’t been so much in recent years, but with consensus around the war breaking down and Congressional investigations heating up, it is now more important than ever that the press does its job.
The Press Secretary in every administration has always served to get the President’s message out and blur the truth when it doesn’t suit Administration goals. I think it’ll be temping for some reporters to give him a break because of his illness, but they must remember that this is a choice he made based on advice from his doctor, discussions with his family, etc. The White House Press corps must be able to separate their personal concern for Snow’s condition from their ethical responsibilities as journalists to uncover the truth.
The clip I have of the interview above ends before the reporter’s response to that obscene statement, but unless the reporter said, “Why are you lying?” he went too easy on the guy.
The next few months are going to be key in determining if this Administration can save itself. They will be pulling out all the stops to control the media and message. It is absolutely vital that the press corps resist this effort and resist the temptation to pity Snow. He took a brave step in fighting his cancer by returning to work - do him the respect of nailing him to the wall.
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