President Bush picked conservative commentator Tony Snow as his White House press secretary. Given his sinking approval ratings this seems like a desperate attempt to win over the press and thereby beef up his ratings. Despite being hailed as a sounded strategy by many, I suspect this is going to backfire. While Tony Snow knows what the press wants, I am not sure he will be able to deliver it once his constraints of operating within the White House become apparent. As a commentator he probably had a lot of freedom to speak his mind. Unfortunately, as Press Secretary his opportunity to do so is going to be limited and might frustrate him and fail to meet the President’s goals. This transition might not be easy. Besides given his background he has expressed views on so many issues that he might have a hard time dissociating himself from them while striving to do justice in his new role. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Pakora Korner 