Snow, married with three children and a recent cancer survivor, did not cite either "health reasons" or "spending more time with his family" as a reason for stepping down as White House Press Secretary next month. Instead, he offered a rare bit of White House candor: It's all about the green.
Snow says his departure is based on family finances. "If I had the dough I'd stay 'til the bitter end,” Snow told NBC News. As an assistant to the President, Snow earns the highest-level salary among White House officials at $168,000 a year.
We here at p3 salute Snow's heroic struggle to get along at three times the median income for an American family of five. Perhaps moving to a new job will mean you can finally get health insurance for your kids, too.
Steve Kettmann of the San Francisco Chronicle probably wrote the best professional epitaph for Snow:
White House spokesman Tony Snow, ever ready with a pained smile or sharp retort, comes across as a man perpetually daring us not to believe him.
Yes, it was a dare he seemed to issue over and over again; it would have been rude of America not to take him up on it.
(Here's one of my favorites.)
But--and you knew this was coming--we're not going to send Tony home empty-handed (not counting his next evidently-more-than-$168,000-annually job). We've got a p3 bumper sticker for him!
No, no--don't thank us, Tony. There are plenty more where that came from.
Which is probably a good thing, since I'd imagine you're not the last White House worthy to be jumping ship in the months to come.
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