Remembering Tony Snow

Aside from the usual media blunders, these past few weeks have been particularly rough for journalism. The shock of Tim Russert's death in June still lingers, and today I awoke to the news of the passing of Tony Snow. Although deeply saddened, I was not surprised. As a physician, I knew that with metastatic colon cancer his life expectancy was short. The last time I saw him - gaunt with thin, white hair - he reminded me of the last time I saw Peter Jennings. When he disappeared from the public eye, I feared the worst was near. Unfortunately, I was right.

I remember Tony Snow as a brilliant and evocative speech writer, as well as a skilled journalist and TV/radio host. Repeatedly, he deftly kept the White House press team in check, but did so with a grin. He was respected (and actually liked) by many of his peers, regardless of their politics. Perhaps more important than his command of his profession, he was also blessed with a healthy sense of humor that kept him smiling even when the foaming-at-the-mouth leftists called for his head. From what I know, he was a man of fine character as well as a devoted husband and father of three.

As someone far away from the beltway, I would probably never have had the opportunity to meet Tony. But if I had, I would have thanked him for contributing so richly to meaningful, civil, thought-provoking public discourse.

Tony was one of the nice ones, and I will miss him.