President's ailing press secretary steps down

September 01, 2007|Terence Hunt, Associated Press

WASHINGTON - President Bush announced yesterday that press secretary Tony Snow, who has waged a battle with cancer while manning the White House lectern, will resign and be replaced by his deputy, Dana Perino, on Sept. 14.

"It's been a joy to watch him spar with you," Bush told the White House press corps in the briefing room.

Snow, who had said recently that he would leave before the end of Bush's presidency, said cancer was not the reason he was stepping down. Instead, the father of three said he needs to make more than his White House salary of $168,000. He can earn far more on the speechmaking circuit.

"I ran out of money," said Snow, who was paid much more as a conservative pundit and syndicated talk-show host on Fox News Radio. "We took out a loan when I came to the White House and that loan's now gone. So I'm going to have to pay the bills."

"I sadly accept his desire to leave the White House," Bush said.

"He's smart. He's capable. He's witty. He's able to talk about issues in a way that the American people can understand," Bush said. "I don't know what he's going to do. I'm not sure he does yet either. But whatever it is . . . it's going to be two things - one, he'll battle cancer and win, and secondly, he'll be a solid contributor to society."

Bush said the 35-year-old Perino was "a smart, capable person who is able to spell out the issues of the day in a way that people listening on TV can understand. She can handle you all."

Snow, 52, was named press secretary on April 26, 2006.