Talk Radio News Service: News, Politics, Media

By Ellen Ratner
It was Sept. 12, and White House press secretary Tony Snow walked into the temporary press room at The White House Conference Center for the morning gaggle. The gaggle is a pen and pencil, not-for-broadcast morning update. President Bush had given his 9/11 speech to the nation less than 14 hours earlier. I expected the usual round of questions, some on terror, a few on the president's day, a Helen Thomas question on Iraq, and the like. I wasn't disappointed by Helen; she asked her Iraq question.

What happened next had me speechless. For at least 15 minutes, Tony Snow bantered with the press about the president's address to the nation and whether of not it was political. Earlier some Democrats had called the speech political, on a day when the White House had pledged to be non-partisan. Tony Snow was prepared. Like a masterful talk-show host he led his audience (the press) down the road he wanted them to be on.

Snow's "show prep," as we say in the talk business, was masterful. He led the agenda. As the president's top spinner, he is supposed to reflect the message of the administration. Mike McCurry was a master at spin during the Clinton administration. He enjoyed the fight, was quick-witted and smooth. Tony has been telegenic and fearless, but never have I seen a press secretary set the agenda so that the press falls into his trap like prey. It was Tony's gaggle, and he was able to use the press to make the points he wanted to from the president's speech the night before, reiterating many times that the speech was not political or controversial. He pointed out that if the president had not mentioned Iraq, then people would have asked why. He said that all day long on Sept. 11 Democrats had issued partisan press releases but the President had delivered a non-partisan speech.

The afternoon briefing on camera was an extension of the morning gaggle. Associated Press's Terry Moran led off the questioning with the comments of John Boehner on Democrats and terror. That was a fair and good question, and Tony stated that he had not seen Boehner's statement. Once again, the press asked about the speech from the night before. Tony was still glowing – tan, rested and ready from the morning gaggle.

Tony quickly moved the ball down the field. He moved from questions about the president's speech being partisan to a defense of the president's policies. Asked about other statements in Bush's speech such as one on the Mideast peace process, Tony responded, "How is peace controversial?" Knowing that the briefings are on camera and seen by the public, Tony took the opportunity to slide right into pre-election reframing of the war issues.

The continuing discussion gave Tony the opportunity to press forward with the White House agenda. "Both Houses of Congress agreed to going into this war. We're there. We have to deal with it. For the president to ignore it (in his speech) – let me – I'll give you anecdotal evidence. Yesterday morning, we're in a firehouse in New York, talking with a lot of people who lost friends and buddies. Later in the day we went to Shanksville, and the president worked a long semi-circle of grieving family members. At the Pentagon there is – as you saw, it was a very emotional meeting with family members. Not one said, don't fight, give up, quit and get out."

Tony had the anecdotes lined up; he knew where he wanted the press briefing to go. The press bought into it. Few facts-and-figures questions were asked with well over 2,000 words in the briefing devoted to issues around partisanship and the speech. Just what Tony Snow wanted.

It was a brilliant idea to get a radio talk-show host and TV anchor to be the press secretary. It has been a job usually occupied by press secretaries from Capitol Hill and other agencies, but no one until recently thought about what would happen if you had a journalist who understood the talk media. We now know. Tony sets the agenda, prepares his on-camera show like he would any challenging political talk show and watches as his "guests" (the press) take the bait. When a patient is dying in the hospital, it is not infrequent he or she is given high doses of morphine, to "snow them under." Tony has managed the job without the morphine and runs the most effective talk show in the country.