Prayers For Tony Snow
I did not hear until well after I had left the house today that Tony Snow has been diagnosed with a recurrence of cancer, this time in his liver:
White House press secretary Tony Snow, who has become the face of the Bush presidency over the last year, has cancer again.Snow's deputy, Dana M. Perino, broke into tears at an off-camera briefing this morning as she announced that the cancer has spread to his liver. Doctors discovered it when they operated on Snow on Monday to remove a small growth that had developed in his lower abdomen.
President Bush, in brief remarks to reporters later in the White House Rose Garden, asked Americans to pray for his ailing spokesman, who he said called him this morning from the hospital to pass on the information that his cancer had returned.
"His attitude is one that he is not going to let this whip him, and he's upbeat," Bush said. "My attitude is that we need to pray for him and for his family." He said his message to Snow is "stay strong; a lot of people love you and care for you and will pray for you. And we're hoping for all the best."
Bush added, "I'm looking forward to the day that he comes back to the White House and briefs the press corps on the decisions that I'm making and why I'm making them. In the meantime, I hope our fellow citizens offer a prayer to he and his family."
Tony has always been a friend to CQ. He knew me and my work when I ran into him at the 2004 Republican National Convention, which floored me at the time. Tony graciously spent a few minutes between engagements there talking blogs, politics, and the convention, giving me a great deal of encouragement to continue my efforts.
He exemplifies for me the proper manner in which to engage in the political debate -- tough, assertive, but personable and gracious. Where some radio hosts scream and use degrading personal attacks, Tony uses wit and rhetoric to score points, and always leaves people feeling that disagreement does not have to be disagreeable. When he took the White House job, Tony knew that he would have a tough task and absorb a lot of criticism onto himself for the administration's message, but he believes in it and always puts the most professional face on the White House press efforts.
As part of my new efforts with Blog Talk Radio and full-time engagement in politics, I hoped to interview Tony at some point just to get a feel for how he sees his role. I'm praying that Tony will recover and I can still have the pleasure of his company for a short time. Liver cancer is tough, but so is Tony. With our prayers, we can all hope that Tony has plenty of gas left in the tank.
And let's not forget Elizabeth Edwards in those prayers, either.
Posted by Ed Morrissey on March 27, 2007 5:36 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (2)
Comments (7)
Posted by Monkei![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/nav-commenters.gif)
| March 27, 2007 5:58 PM
God Speed Tony Snow ...
Posted by Barb![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/nav-commenters.gif)
| March 27, 2007 7:08 PM
We are all praying for Tony Snow to come through this bout of cancer. I was so happy to see him take the job at the White House. He is a very pleasant man to listen to and I admire his ability to do his job with such a pleasant demeanor all the time. Most people would lose their 'cool', at times!
Posted by RBMN![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/nav-commenters.gif)
| March 27, 2007 8:29 PM
One thing we know about Tony Snow; he'll fight his cancer with both good humor and tenacity, and most of his concern will be about how it affects other people. Best of everything to Tony.
Posted by armygirl![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/nav-commenters.gif)
| March 27, 2007 9:12 PM
I lost my brother last Friday to Colon cancer. When they found the disease in my brother it had already spread to his liver and lungs. He fought it valiantly, but his original diagnosis was a death sentence.
Tony Snow's cancer was not as progressed as my brother's when it was first diagnosed. But one thing I do know is this is a really hard thing to fight. I wish Tony Snow strength and great health.
Posted by Bithead![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/nav-commenters.gif)
| March 28, 2007 6:15 AM
Ed;
The deputy press Secretary was quite specific about this; the cancer, supposedly, was on his liver not in it.
This seems a very important distinction.
As I gather it, this means the chances for survival are significantly better than they might have been with the cancer in his lover.
Posted by Cybrludite![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/nav-commenters.gif)
| March 28, 2007 6:36 AM
My condolances, Armygirl, though I'd argue that being born is the death sentance we all live under. It's just a question of what we do with the time between...
In addition to the best wishes for Mr. Snow & Mrs. Edwards, I hope our host won't think it amiss if I also extend my thoughts to include the First Mate & her own health issues.
Posted by krm![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/nav-commenters.gif)
| March 28, 2007 11:09 AM
I just came through my own colon cancer surgery (on February 8, 2007). I had a much earlier find and no spread. At this point, I don't figure to check out any earlier than I would otherwise (and maybe even later if my wife's plans for my new diet, excersise, etc. get implemented).
The good news is that current Med tech offers a lot better results than even the fairly recent past, and the "on" vs. "in" the liver is important.
I still fear for Snow, whom I both like and admire. I wish him all the best.