Enter Tony Snow

TONY SNOW knows when to dodge a question. Ask the new White House press secretary just what wasn’t working in the West Wing, and why Josh Bolten, the new chief of staff, needed to overhaul the press operation, and Snow stays a mile away from controversy. “That one, for obvious reasons, I’m just gonna dodge,” he says.

No one would really expect Snow, the popular radio host, Fox News anchor, and syndicated columnist, to spill any secrets about that. But the thing Snow understands is this: You can tell a reporter you’re dodging his question and he might not like it, but he won’t be mad. On the other hand, if you dodge the question while insisting that you are really answering it, he will be mad. And if you do that a lot, you’ve got a recipe for bad relations with the press. It’s happened before.

About the Author

Byron York

Byron York is a former White House correspondent for National Review.

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TONY SNOW knows when to dodge a question. Ask the new White House press secretary just what wasn’t working in the West Wing, and why Josh Bolten, the new chief of staff, needed to overhaul the press operation, and Snow stays a mile away from controversy. “That one, for obvious reasons, I’m just gonna dodge,” he says.

No one would really expect Snow, the popular radio host, Fox News anchor, and syndicated columnist, to spill any secrets about that. But the thing Snow understands is this: You can tell a reporter you’re dodging his question and he might not like it, but he won’t be mad. On the other hand, if you dodge the question while insisting that you are really answering it, he will be mad. And if you do that a lot, you’ve got a recipe for bad relations with the press. It’s happened before.