Snow Day
"The White House clearly hopes that by appointing an insider like Snow -- someone who has experience with television -- that they'll warm up a very distant relationship with the press," said Plante. "From the beginning, this White House disdained the press," but with approval ratings dwindling at record lows lately, "this new chief of staff is trying to reach out and Snow's appointment is a reflection of that."
But that doesn't necessarily have to do with Snow's background as a journalist, said Plante. "I've never thought of him as a just-the-facts journalist," he said. "He's an opinion writer and a pundit."
The likelihood of Snow's appointment improving relations with the press has more to do with the fact that Snow "understands how things work," in the press, said Plante."He has television experience and a friendly personality."
That the briefings have become such a staple for cable news channels also might have something to do with Snow's usefulness as press secretary, said Plante. He'll offer a "more engaging" public face for the White House, as the position has become more prominent.
During his announcement, President Bush made a point of addressing a matter that has been much discussed in the press recently – Snow has written about and discussed Bush as a commentator, and his opinions have not always been positive. "He's not afraid to express his own opinions," Bush said of Snow. "For those of you who've read his columns and listened to his radio show, he sometimes has disagreed with me. I asked him about those comments, and he said, `You should have heard what I said about the other guy.'"
While Bush "made a point of diffusing" the criticism surrounding the issue with his statement, Snow will likely still be confronted with questions in the briefing room about his past comments on the president, "at least at the beginning," said Plante. "The logical question [for Snow] would be: Are you going to feel as comfortable speaking freely in this position as you were in your former position?"
That those questions will arise at all is something that the White House "sees as a good thing," said Plante, because it offers a "sign of openness."