My last McClellan question still unanswered, Rove roves; Snow falling for Bush?

Tim Cavanaugh | April 19, 2006

Now that White House spokesman Scott McClellan has been shown the door, I'm left with a question that has nagged me for years (though never enough to make me bother to find the answer): Was he a descendant of George McClellan, the craptacular Civil War general who did more for the cause of secession than Jefferson Davis, then ran against Honest Abe in the 1864 election?

In other news, Karl Rove will be leaving whatever his vaguely defined policy position is in order to focus on election strategy. And Fox claims its own Tony Snow is in line to replace McClellan as director of obfuscation. As a Tony Snow fan, I have to concede that this is the kind of career move you'd be a fool to turn down, but I still say: Don't do it, Tony. You're too good for that.

Comments

|4.19.06 @ 10:26AM|#

I used to have some respect for Snow. Pity.

Xmas|4.19.06 @ 10:32AM|#

They should pick Shepard Smith.

He can deflect all sorts of probing questions with his shiny brow!

http://www.gogomag.com/ss/

|4.19.06 @ 10:34AM|#

When the going gets weird, the shills turn pro.

I always thought he was a bit too hip for the cranky old dad who's always yelling Fox demo. Maybe he'll dazzle us with that Fox News hair. You don't see hair like that this side of North Korea very often. Plus the right wing radio market is a little saturated.

|4.19.06 @ 11:02AM|#

Do you really want to be director of obfuscation for the sinking lame duck?

s.m. koppelman|4.19.06 @ 11:08AM|#

Tony Snow wouldn't solve their main problem presswise these days, which is angry reporters persisting in asking a question that's already been dodged, leading to contentious press breifings lately. The obvious answer is to interview prepubescent girls for the job. Not even Helen Thomas would be mean to a prepubescent girl.

Child labor laws being what they are, they'd probably really need two prepubescent girls to share the job so they'd each have enough time to keep up with their schooling and homework. Hollywood ususally does this by hiring twins.

But are there any young twin girls who are fully on board with this administration's policies and message?

Yes! There are!

|4.19.06 @ 11:14AM|#

Yeah, that was my initial thought. But he can always work a year or so, get on the TV a lot, then go back to the immortal, unstoppable Fox/talk radio/Regnery/etc. machine. Republican administrations come and go. The media apparatus that gets them elected will live forever.

|4.19.06 @ 11:51AM|#

s m koppelman-

Ow, my eye! And I almost missed the detail of the t-shirts.

Your point is right on the money. Reminds me of one of the (many) jobs I quit. I went to the Heap Big Chief's office to verbally abuse him on my way out, but unfortunately, his secretary was such a doe-eyed wonder that I pretty much fizzled out on the spot. "Oh, never mind," was all I could manage.

Useful lesson for the executively inclined, though.

--------

Tony Snow is a sanctimonious hack; he deserves that job and the all-you-can-eat dung buffet that comes with it.

|4.19.06 @ 12:05PM|#

"But are there any young twin girls who are fully on board with this administration's policies and message?"

Wow, s.m. koppelman, that was a sneaky--but robust--invocation of Godwin. Congrats.

|4.19.06 @ 12:06PM|#

I always hated that sleazy con Tony Snow. I hope this is the career killer for hi that it has been others.

JMJ

Tim Cavanaugh|4.19.06 @ 12:07PM|#

Lame-duck administration or not, a White House job is always a massive résumé builder for anybody in the punditry/gasbaggery line. Look at how much work John Dean still gets.

Help Me Impeach Bush|4.19.06 @ 12:23PM|#

And Fox claims its own Tony Snow is in line to replace McClellan as director of obfuscation.

Hasn't Snow already been pretty much doing McClellan's job? I have had the misforture to listen to his radio show several times - it's wall-to-wall administration talking points, in a bland and non-entertaining manner (compared to other shills like Rush Limbaugh, at least.)

The only difference between Snow and McClellan is that Snow doesn't have to answer questions from the press - he has free reign to spout Bushpraise without fear of interruption, rebuttal, or contradiction.

keith|4.19.06 @ 1:31PM|#

All this means to me is that I can finally begin production on my Ari Fleischer-Scott McClellan buddy picture. George Stephanapalous is the villain, and James Carvelle is the comic relief that is never funny.

|4.19.06 @ 3:17PM|#

I'm glad Rove is no longer in the policy wing of the administration. Once campaigns are over, they're over; putting a campaign guy there is like putting an advertising pro at the head of a company just because he came up with snappy TV spots.

|4.19.06 @ 3:25PM|#

Tim,

True enough about John Dean, but we are not only looking at a lame duck, but a soon to be despised by his own party lame duck.

This time next year, Repubs will be treating the administration like it has the plague.

|4.19.06 @ 3:28PM|#

"This time next year, Repubs will be treating the administration like it has the plague."

Forgive me if I decline to assume that anything good will come of that.

|4.19.06 @ 5:23PM|#

JMJ:

Jesus H. Christ just change the fucking channel! Who is making you watch Tony Snow?

Oh, I get it. You don't want anyone else to watch him either.

|4.19.06 @ 6:17PM|#

I can't be the only one who thinks Tony Snow sounds an awful lot like Kermit the Frog...

|4.20.06 @ 9:51AM|#

Tony Snow for press secretary

Bill O'Reilly for Secretary of Defense

Surely we can find a position for Brit Hume also

|4.20.06 @ 10:38AM|#

Sean Hannity for president!

And John Gibson's hair for VP!