Why the MSM Already Dislike Tony Snow

It certainly didn't take long, did it? I'm referring to the criticism of both President Bush and his new pick for White House Press Secretary, Tony Snow. Officially announced this morning, the MSM is already bombarding the internet, airwaves, newprint and radio with criticism. Surprise, surprise. I knew this was coming, but I didn't expect it to take on this form.

What do I mean by this? Take the article from AP White House correspondent Terence Hunt as an example. Mr. Hunt immediately labels former Fox News channel pundit Tony Snow as a "conservative commentator" which is certainly a fair analysis, given what I know of Mr. Snow. Mr. Hunt then describes President Bush and his administration as having a "reputation for not suffering criticism".

Next, Mr. Hunt acknowledges that Tony Snow has, at times, been an outspoken critic of the Bush administration. He quotes Snow as saying that the president was "something of an embarassment", "a leader who has 'lost control of the federal budget,' the architect of a 'listless domestic policy' and a man who has 'a habit of singing from the political correctness hymnal.'"

These are all quotes that Tony Snow acknowledges by saying, "I've written some critical stuff. When you're a columnist, you're going to criticize and you're going to praise."

President Bush also acknowledges Snows' criticism of his administration and policies. He said of Snow, "He's not afraid to express his own opinions." "For those of you who've read his columns and listened to his radio show, he sometimes has disagreed with me. I asked him about those comments, and he said, `You should have heard what I said about the other guy.'"

So what's the problem, you might ask? What beef could the MSM possibly have with Tony Snow? It sounds to me like he would be the perfect candidate. He is a true conservative (I'll clue you in, this is one of their main problems), but not a "yes-man". He is unafraid to express his opinions, even when they differ from the president's. President Bush, who has been criticized throughout his years in the White House as being oblivious to criticism, has brought in someone who has in the past, and no doubt will continue to criticize the very president the MSM claims to be incapable of accepting criticism. Finally, Tony Snow is a veteren media figure, with experience in print, television and radio journalism.

And that, folks, is where the MSM has a problem. Tony Snow is an intelligent veteren Conservative reporter who knows how to play the media game on many levels. Being a reporter, analyst, journalist and talk-show host, Snow has plenty of experience being one of the media, so he knows all the tricks of the trade. He will not be easily bamboozled. He will likely not be just a mouthpiece for the President and the White House. He will "handle" the MSM and they already don't like it.

So what is the MSM to do? Well, it looks like they've resorted to play #1 in the liberal playbook. If you don't like your opponent, try to discredit him (or them, in this case) in any way possible. Throw any accusations you can come up with at your opponent and hope they stick.

The MSM media tries to discredit President Bush by painting him as a bumbling idiot who didn't do his homework on his new press secretary. They try to discredit Tony Snow as someone who is anti-Bush and attempt to create discord between the President and his new press secretary. The problem is, in doing so, they only succeed in continuing to discredit themselves, disproving their own accusations, in their own words, yet again.