Snow seen as key to improved press ties

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President Bush yesterday named Fox News host Tony Snow as his new White House press secretary, a move geared toward shoring up relations with the Washington press corps and breathing new life into a sixth-year administration that is dropping in the polls.

Mr. Snow, 50, a journalist, writer and political pundit who was the editorial page editor of The Washington Times during the administration of the president's father, took the job after insisting that he be not just a spokesman, but a participant in administration policy debates.

Yet Mr. Bush, in introducing Mr. Snow to reporters gathered in the White House briefing room yesterday, made clear the chain of command.

"My job is to make decisions, and his job is to help explain those decisions to the press corps and the American people," the president said, with a smiling Mr. Snow next to him.

Mr. Snow displayed his knack for ad-libbing -- a trait not often exhibited by his predecessor, Scott McClellan -- by speaking after the president without a prepared speech or notes.

"One of the things I want to do is just make it clear that ... one of the reasons I took the job is not only because I believe in the president, [but] because, believe it or not, I want to work with you," he said to mild laughter from the reporters who will badger him daily for information.

"These are times that are going to be very challenging. We've got a lot of big issues ahead, and we've got a lot of important things that all of us are going to be covering together. ... I want to thank you, Mr. President, for the honor, and thank all you guys for your forbearance."

Although Mr. Snow was widely speculated to be the choice for more than a week -- he is a longtime friend of new Chief of Staff Joshua B. Bolten -- his decision to take the post was delayed briefly by health concerns. He had his colon removed last year and underwent six months of chemotherapy. But he had a CT scan last week and has a clean bill of health.

Mr. Snow is well-regarded among reporters in Washington, having worked in newspapers, television and radio. He has criticized the Bush administration as a political commentator and nationally syndicated columnist, which prompted the president to offer a humorous read.

"For those of you who have read his columns and listened to his radio show, he sometimes has disagreed with me," Mr. Bush said. "I asked him about those comments, and he said, 'You should have heard what I said about the other guy.'"