Time for some Snow in Washington

It's been speculated ever since Scotty stepped down, and now it's official. Tony Snow is the new Press Secretary. WaPo -- Fox News commentator Tony Snow was named White House press secretary today after top officials assured him that he would be not just a spokesman but an active participant in administration policy debates, people familiar with the discussions said. A former director of speechwriting for President Bush's father, Snow views himself as well positioned to ease the tensions between this White House and the press corps because he understands both politics and journalism, said sources familiar with the President's decision. A pundit takes over the press room. Excellent! He's opinionated and vocal. He's not afraid to disagree with the President or the press corps. This could make for some interesting showdowns with Helen Thomas and David Gregory. And he's already getting nicknames from the press... Foxy Spokesman, Max Headroom, etc... I for one think it's a great move. Why not make an opinionated, articulate, pundit who's used to debating people from the left side of the spectrum the person in charge of getting the message to the press and to the public? Who better to field questions from a hostile room? Why not take someone who'll give the president an earful of his opinion as well? I'm looking forward to some great press conferences... UPDATE @9:52am: Here's how Snow's characterized Dubya in the past... Snow called Bush "something of an embarrassment," a leader who has "lost control of the federal budget," the architect of a "listless domestic policy" and a man who has "a habit of singing from the political correctness hymnal." Bush said he asked Snow about the critical remarks. "He said, `You should have heard what I said about the other guy.'" Hopefully he brings more of that to the table at staff meetings.