I don’t think many people have realized how the left blew it in its response to his appointment. The Center for American Progress and others immediately dug up every negative thing Snow ever said about Bush. This was precisely the stuff they should have downplayed. Instead, by doing this, they established Tony’s credibility and integrity. Nancy Pelosi & Co. tried desperately to paint Snow and Fox News as bastions of hackery. But she’s just really, really lame. So she came across as sounding like she thinks the normal and honorable thing for Bush to have done is pick a harsh critic as his chief spokesman. This is, of course, batty on its face. But her comments did have the unintended consequence of setting up the press to over-report Snow’s criticism’s of Bush making him seem magnanimous for picking Snow and making Snow seem like more of his own man than any Press Secretary in recent memory.

If the Democrats had been smart, they would have just let the whole thing go as ho-hum and praised Snow for being a good guy. They could have added that they hope Snow will “finally” bring some honesty and integrity to the White House. Then, a week into Snow’s tenure they could sigh — a la Tom Daschle — about how “saddened and disappointed” they are that Tony only brought more of the same.