Potomac Flacks

New Deputy Asst. for Advance and Operations at the White House

Also today, the White House named Specer Geissinger to be Deputy Assistant to the President for Advance and Operations. He was previously Vice President of Business Development, Marketing, Public Relations and Operations at Alpha Protective Services, and has worked at SEG Global Partners Consulting Group, the 55th Presidential Inaugural Committee, the 2004 G8 Summit Planning Organization and at the U.S. Department of State as Assistant Chief Protocol Officer. (PF Tipster)

ABC News Vet Heads to White House

Today, the White House announced that Adam Belmar has been appointed Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Communications for Production. Belmar was Senior Producer of "This Week with George Stephanopolous" at ABC News. He was previously Senior Producer of "Good Morning America" at ABC News, and has also been a producer at the "McLaughlin Group "and Tribune Broadcasting.

BREAKING NEWS: Tony Snow to Return to Work on Monday

Last night several of the cable news channels reported that White House Press Secretary Tony Snow has told his boss that he plans to return to work on April 30.

Snow's been away fighting a recurrence of cancer.

He surprised much of official Washington Saturday night when he attended the White House Correspondent's Dinner.

Snow is expected to handle the press briefings starting Monday and says he will continue working while he receives aggressive treatment for his cancer.

Former WH Flack McClellan Writing Book

According to the USA Today, former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan is writing a memoir about his time in the White House.

The book will be a "behind-the-scenes" look at the Bush presidency and will be published next spring by PublicAffairs.  Financial terms were not disclosed.

McClellan's predecessor, Ari Fleischer, also wrote a book in 2005, Taking Heat, about his experiences in the White House.

Laura Bush's Spokesgal Leaving White House

Via Washington Whispers:

The first lady's able and gracious spokeswoman, Susan Whitson, tells us that she's leaving to start a family after nearly two years in the East Wing. "Being Mrs. Bush's press secretary has been the single best job I have had," she says. But not an easy one, that's for sure. Just consider the diversity of calls she gets from reporters: everything from questions about the once-partying twins to interview requests for first pup Barney. Whitson says she just recently decided to leave Washington and move permanently to Washington, Va., home of the famous Inn at Little Washington and where she and her hubby have a house.

WH Deputy Comms Director Pulls Back Curtain on PR Tactics

WP's Dana Milbank looks at how Thursday's testimony at Scooter Libby's trial by White House Deputy Comms Director Catherine Martin (right) laid bare some of the WH's comms techniques.  Highlights:

• "With a candor that is frowned upon at the White House, Martin explained the use of late-Friday statements. 'Fewer people pay attention to it late on Friday,' she said. 'Fewer people pay attention when it's reported on Saturday.'"

• "She walked the jurors through how the White House coddles friendly writers and freezes out others. To deal with the Wilson controversy, she hastily arranged a Cheney lunch with conservative commentators."

• "She put 'Meet the Press' at the top of her list of 'Options' but noted that it might appear 'too defensive.' Next, she proposed 'leak to Sanger-Pincus-newsmags. Sit down and give to them.'

• "For all the elaborate press management, things didn't always go according to plan. Martin described how Time wound up with an exclusive one weekend because she didn't have a phone number for anybody at Newsweek."

We'll say this: this trial has to be creating some very awkward moments among the WH staff.

WH's Perino Gets All Huffy Over Pelosi

Courtesy FishBowlDC:

White House Deputy Spokesman Dana Perino (left) is already a hottie. But when she gets a little feisty and mean, that's even hotter.

Writes Houston Chronicle's Julie Mason:

Ahead of Bush's State of the Union address on Tuesday, White House Deputy Spokeswoman Dana Perino on Friday called remarks by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier this morning, "poisonous."

"And it's certainly not in keeping with the bipartisan spirit and civility that the Democrats pledged and that we looked forward to, and the president will again call for that in his State of the Union address," she huffed.

Dana! Work it.

Ex-WH Comm Director Wallace Signs With PR Firm

National Journal reports that former White House comms director Nicolle Wallace, 34, (right) has landed at PR firm Powell Tate / Weber Shandwick as executive vice president in the firm's media-relations and crisis teams.

"Wallace will divide her time between Washington and New York City, where her husband, Mark Wallace, is the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations for management and reform. She cited Pam Jenkins, president of Powell Tate/Weber Shandwick, as a major reason for her decision to join the communications firm...Wallace will remain a political consultant at CBS, where she regularly appears on the Evening News and The Early Show."

WH's Sullivan Appreciates DVR, Former Boss Ebersol

White House Comm Director Kevin Sullivan (left) tells Broadcasting & Cable that it's been tough adjusting to an early-morning schedule.

"I used to be a night owl," Sullivan says. "Now many nights I go to bed before my kids. Of course, I appreciate my DVR more than ever."

Sullivan also credits his former NBC Sports boss Dick Ebersol with teaching him to "approach communications with a producer’s mindset—meaning lead with the good stuff, tell your story and be concise."

Tony Snow Likes "Kumbaya" But Loves Hip-Hop Ring Tones

Extreme Mortman noticed WH Press Secretary Tony Snow having a lot of "kumbaya" moments lately, so he went to the trouble of cataloging all of them.  Most recently, from last Friday's briefing: "Everybody assumes that when we talk about bipartisanship that it’s just sort of happy face, kumbaya stuff, and we’re really lying through our teeth." 

But "kumbaya" isn't the only song ringing in Snow's ears.  FishBowlDC tells us that after hearing ABC reporter Martha Raddatz' cell phone go off during Tuesday's briefing, Snow asked, "Does Martha have a hip-hop ring tone? Play that funky music, white girl."

Gerald Ford Flack Looks Back

Yays and Nays talks with former Gerald Ford WH Press Secretary Ron Nessen (right), who was named to the job after serving as NBC's White House correspondent.

"In those days it was not very common to go back and forth across that line," Nessen said [of his move from journalism to the WH]. "It was very rare, and there is a sense today, as well as then, that the media is a sacred calling — a priesthood almost — and when you cross the line, you become one of those suspect politicians."

More: "From day one, Nessen had to contend with the bitter relationship between the Nixon White House and the press corps that carried over into the Ford administration. 'The relationship was terrible and poisonous,' Nessen said. 'And a lot of people wondered, ‘How could you go into government at a time like this?'"

"But Nessen stayed on the job for the remainder of Ford’s term, even earning a bit of notoriety in the process: He was the first political figure to host Saturday Night Live."

Snow Points The "Way Forward," But Sounds Ready for Vacation

WH Press Secretary Tony Snow really likes the phrases "the way forward," "a new way forward," and "a better way forward."  So much so that The Caucus calculated he had "uttered the phrase 'way forward' during press briefings more than 50 times since Dec. 5. Before this month, Mr. Snow had used that phrase just 19 times."

In other Snow news, he found himself on the defensive Tuesday over why the WH didn't announce Laura Bush's skin cancer earlier.  FishBowlDC has the highlights.  An exasperated Snow finally tells the press corps, "You guys are really stretching it. I mean, it is now officially a really slow news day."

Snow Invokes "I Dunno" 400+ Times in Seven Months

WP's Dana Milbank sketches WH Press Secretary Tony Snow's liberal use of the phrase "I don't know" in daily press briefings:

When Snow took over as White House press secretary earlier this year, reporters found it refreshing that he was willing to admit when he didn't know something. This has become rather less refreshing as Snow, while claiming access to Bush's sanctum sanctorum, continues to use the phrase -- more than 400 times so far in televised briefings and interviews. Sometimes, it seems more of a tic than a response; usually, it's a brushoff.

Why so many 'dunnos'? "Because I don't know all," Snow explained, knowingly.

Tony Snow's Patriotic Office Art

Washington Times' Joe Curl (via FishBowlDC) tells us about the posters in WH Press Secretary's Tony Snow's office:

All of the above took place in Snow's office, which has a poster on the wall that shows Uncle Sam and says: "We're at War: Are YOU Doing All You Can?"

Which begs the question: is his poster referring to Iraq, or the daily combat with the WH press corps?

"Senior Administration Official" Returns to WH Briefing!

From Wonkette:

MR. SNOW: Greetings. Welcome to Amman. First, I am joined by my close personal friend, Senior Administration Official, for a background briefing on the President’s dinner with the King of Jordan. So let me introduce to one and all, Senior Administration Official, to give you a readout and then answer your questions.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thank you.

Not even trying anymore. And apparently no one gives a shit, as this this man of intrigue — along with yesterday’s Mystery Twins — made it into this Post story!

We like to think he shouts “everyone look over there!” while pressing a button on his ring that activates his spring-loaded, super-shrinking Senior Administration Official costume. You know, like the Flash. Except slower and with lies.

WH Flacks Transform Themselves into "Senior Administration Officials"

It's not too hard to piece together who "senior Administration officials" are when minutes earlier, they went by the name "Tony Snow" and "Dan Bartlett."  Absurd.

Snow Throws Kerry A "Lifeline" From Podium, Makes Press Corps Giggle

Questioned today about John Kerry's troops comment, WH Press Secretary Tony Snow "actually [said] he's suggesting Kerry apologize in order to help him. Snow: "This is helpful advice! We're trying to help you out! We're throwing you a lifeline, buddy! Just say you're sorry! It's not hard!" After the laughter dies down, CBS' Jim Axelrod asked, "Have you thought about sending Senator Kerry a gift basket?" Great stuff. (courtesy TPM Cafe)

The "White House Press Room's Own Academic": Martha Joynt Kumar

Reading the NYT Sunday Magazine profile of Tony Snow, we came across a description of Towson University professor Martha Joynt Kumar, who's been attending the WH press briefings since 1975 as an observer.  We wanted to learn more about Prof. Kumar and her impressions of the WH press operation, and she graciously agreed to answer our questions:

The recent New York Times profile of Tony Snow described you as the “White House press room’s own academic.” Fair description? I would describe myself as an academic who studies White House communications operations and the relationship of the White House and the press.  Much of my recent work has been for a book that is currently in the copy editing stage, "Managing the Message: The People, Policies, and Politics Behind the President's Message."  It will be published in the summer by the Johns Hopkins University Press.

According to the Times, you’ve been attending White House press briefings since 1975, as an observer and scholar. How did you first get started attending briefings? I started going to briefings in December, 1975, when a coauthor and I were working on a book on the press secretary (Portraying the President: The White House and the News Media).  We found we learned a great deal about White House communications by observing the briefing and then talking to reporters about their work and White House operations.  We also got a sense from the sessions of who was and who was not managing White House communications.  Attending those briefings led us to other locations in the White House for information about those involved in creating and managing presidential messages. 

How often do you actually attend the daily briefings? Do you attend the off-air daily gaggles as well? I attend both the gaggle and the briefing as I write about both sessions.  I attend several sessions a week.

AFTER THE JUMP: Kumar on what makes a WH flack successful, how the press treats the WH press deputies, and which press secretaries were press corps favorites.

Saliterman Leads WH Rapid Response

USA Today pulls back the curtain on the WH daily rapid response effort, led by Director of Rapid Response Rob Saliterman:

"Every weekday at 8 a.m., right after President Bush meets with senior staff, his communications team huddles in a second floor West Wing office to plan new moves in the information war...The White House digital war room blasts thousands of electronic messages each day, aimed at more than 2,000 targets. They include journalists, Republican staffers in government, radio talk show hosts, television bookers, Internet bloggers and what White House communications director Kevin Sullivan described as other 'interested parties.'"

More: "A busy day for Bush's digital warriors goes something like this: On Sept. 6, the day Bush proposed his plan for military trials of terrorism suspects, the White House sent at least seven missives. They included two "fact sheets" explaining the program, a list detailing myths and facts about the CIA's interrogations of these suspects, and another entitled 'setting the record straight' addressed to critics of the plan."

NYT Mag's Snow Profile: The Highlights

As we mentioned, Sunday's NYT Magazine filed a 5,018-word profile on WH Press Secretary Tony Snow, with reporter Ben Wallace-Wells summing up, "Snow’s style is basically cheery: Gee, isn’t it fun to run the world?" Some highlights:

Briefings as Time-Sucks: "I don’t think Tony fully realized when he started," Bartlett told me, "how much of an elephant in the room the briefing is. When you get done preparing for the gaggle, doing the gaggle, preparing for the briefing, doing the briefing, taking reporter’s calls, that’s basically your day. It’s not like you’ve got all this time left to do other stuff."

More Access: And in the months since Bolten took over and hired Snow, this famously closed White House has become marginally more open. It has given reporters more on-the-record access to the president and has brought in more governmental experts to brief the press. White House officials say that these changes came, in part, at Snow’s urging.

NYT's Sunday Mag to Profile Snow

The Note previews This Sunday's New York Times Magazine profile of WH flack Tony Snow:
 

"According to White House officials, Snow does play a bigger role than previous press secretaries did in helping to design the day's response to anticipated press inquiries. But Snow's more obvious success has been within the theatrical confines of the press room — in deflecting damaging stories before they gain traction, in phrasing the president's position more eloquently and precisely than Bush himself is able to and in imposing the White House's line on the story of the day."

White House counselor Dan Bartlett, as part of his overall praise for his colleagues, credits Snow with pushing the President to speak to the NAACP in advance of the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

Tony Fratto Takes WH Briefing Out for Inaugural Spin

He may not be the hottie that Dana Perino is, but that other WH Deputy Press Secretary Tony Fratto (right) did hold his first WH press gaggle yesterday since coming aboard in September. 

Rather than throwing himself under the hot lights of the briefing room, Fratto eased into briefing responsibilities by doing his first on-the-record presser aboard Air Force One, with the kinder traveling press corps on the way to Sarasota, Florida (in the same way that Tony Snow took baby steps during his first two weeks on the job).

These guys may not have cared for Fratto's first at-bat (then again, how can you please someone who calls Perino "Dana Peroxide" and Snow "Pony Blow Don't Know"?), and it's true that Fratto's performance might not have been as smooth as Snow's.  But he also hasn't spent years on TV like Snow, and Fratto's ballsy spin about Bush's campaign schedule being so light because of "the new campaign finance laws" shows that he knows what he's doing.

WH's Perino "Hotter than Tony Snow and Scott McClellan Combined"

In the Loop writes that this month's Esquire magazine features..

...a fine photo display of "The Women We Love" from various fields -- movies, news, television commercials. The section includes "Women We're Ashamed to Love," topped by White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino (right).

"Hotter than Tony Snow and Scott McClellan combined," Esquire says of Perino. "Plus, the executive branch seems so much more capable in her dulcet voice. Lie to us, Dana. Lie to us."

Snow Takes 90% Pay Cut for WH Gig

Tony Snow may earn $165,200 as WH press secretary, but that constitutes a whopping 90 percent pay cut, National Journal reports today.

The feisty media manipulator reported...that he pocketed almost $1.75 million as a Fox News anchor and syndicated talk-radio personality in the year before signing up with Bush this spring -- not to mention $161,000 in itemized speaking fees.

He delivered 25 speeches from January 2005 right up until the week before he started as press secretary; each paid more than $5,000, including four gigs compensated at $20,000 a pop. Snow reported stock and investment assets and income worth between $691,539 and $2.16 million, according to the broad ranges used by the Ethics Office.

White House Press Staff Salaries

After the runaway success of our spreadsheet of Senate Press Secretary salaries, we got to thinking that Potomac Flacks readers might be interested in a look at salaries in the White House communications and press operation.  After all, what D.C. flack doesn't harbor secret hopes of someday speaking from that famous podium and following in the steps of Tony Snow, Marlin Fitzwater, Joe Lockhart and Mike McCurry?

These salary figures are courtesy of National Journal, and were released in July 2006, so they're a bit dated (for example, Nicole Wallace has since departed the Comm Director job).  And I'll repeat what I've said before: the White House is a prestigious gig, but most of these people are criminally underpaid given how hard they work.

Snow, Tony	Assistant to the President and Press Secretary	$165,200
Wallace, Nicolle	Assistant to the President for Communications	$165,200
Martin, Catherine J.	Deputy Asstistant to the President and Deputy Director of Communications for Policy and Planning	$137,000
Perino, Dana M.	Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Press Secretary	$137,000
Sforza, Scott N.	Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Communication for Production	$137,000
Mamo, Jean S.	Special Assistant to the President and Director of Media Affairs	$122,000
Lisaius, Kenneth A.	Special Assistant to President and Deputy Press Secretary	$105,000

With Rebuttals, WH Comms Shop Moves into RNC Research Territory

CBS's Bill Plante reports that "since Labor Day, the White House communications operation has been in the kind of rapid response mode usually seen in campaigns, publishing eight pieces on its Web site to rebut news coverage it regards as inaccurate or misleading under the title, 'Setting the Record Straight.'" Prominent examples including rebuttals of a CBS report on Medicare, an AP story on Iraq, and Bob Woodward's new book.

Well-researched rebuttal documents like these are the bread and butter of research shops at the RNC, DNC, other campaigns and committees.  But they're a new tool for the White House, which has traditionally let its party committee research team issue critiques of news reports, so that the WH can remain above the fray and maintain positive relations with WH beat reporters.  It's also interesting that these documents come out of Kevin Sullivan's (left) comms shops and not Tony Snow's press shop -- perhaps so as not to pollute Snow's day-to-day dealings with reporters whose stories come under attack.

UPDATE (10/23): Informed sources tell us that the rebuttal docs were actually brought to the WH comms shop from the Bush-Cheney '04 campaign by former Comm Director Nicole Wallace and rapid response vet Matt McDonald.

Snow's Stumping "Cross Between One-Man Show and Religious Revival"

NYT's Sheryl Gay Stolberg tagged along as WH Press Secretary Tony Snow hit the campaign trail this weekend.  While Karl Rove says that Snow's campaign trips are "like Mick Jagger at a rock concert," Stolberg does find some chagrined tut-tutting from the likes of David Gergen and Ken Duberstein.  Our favorite part, though, is this giddy portion of Snow's Chicago speech:

“Yesterday,” Mr. Snow declared, “I was in the Oval Office with the president ——”

He cut himself off, took a perfectly calibrated three-second pause and switched into an aw-shucks voice for dramatic effect: “I just looove saying that! Yeaaah, I was in the Oval Office. Just meeee and the president. Nooooobody else.” The crowd lapped it up.

Snow Cited for Being Overeager Tour Guide?

A tipster sends in this juicy gossip about WH press secretary Tony Snow:

[A Secret Service source tells our tipster that] Snow was written up for a security violation on Tuesday but the violation was thrown out.  Why?  Mr. Snow allowed the visiting Chinese guests to roam around the mansion and compound unattended.  All guests require constant supervision.  SS said that a stickler SS agent wrote up Mr. Snow and that all security violations require the signature of the violator’s supervisor, in Mr. Snow’s case, that would be The President!  The stickler’s supervisor threw out the security violation because obviously POTUS should not be bother with such things and chastised the stickler.

UPDATE: Potomac Flacks has learned that the White House has denied this rumor. 

Ubiquitous Gordon Johndroe Moves to NSC

What Bush Administration flack job hasn't Gordon Johndroe filled??  Wash Post reports that Johndroe (left) is replacing Frederick Jones as chief spokesman for the National Security Council.  Jones, a career Foreign Service officer, has been in the gig for 3 1/2 years and will now return to the State Department.

Johndroe is currently director of strategic communications and planning at the State Department, but was previously spokesguy for FLOTUS and DHS.  I hear that after the NSC he's going to become the spokesman over at the Bureau of Printing and Engraving -- just cuz.

WH Briefing or the "Tony Snow Show"?

"Sometimes [the White House daily press briefing] does feel like the Tony Snow Show," Newsweek's Richard Wolffe tells WaPo's Howard Kurtz. "There are tactics he uses that are straight out of talk radio. The extent to which he personalizes things or comes back with a one-liner, it revs up the base. They love it when he takes us on."

Meanwhile, CBS's Jim Axelrod says that Snow has "probably dealt with angry callers before [during his talk radio days], and maybe we're nothing more than angry callers to him."

More reporter takes on Tony after the jump.

WH Spokesguy Moonlights as Vinyl Siding Pitchman

Per the New York Times, Iowans have been able to hear White House Press Secretary "selling the home products of Nu-Vu Windows and Siding, in an advertisement he recorded back when he was a Fox News radio host who regularly plugged his local and national sponsors."

Snow to Hit the Fundraising Circuit

AP's Nedra Pickler reports that Tony Snow is hitting the road for Republican candidates -- an unusual move for a sitting WH press secretary and a testament to how popular Snow is among the base.

[Snow] said he decided to help maintain the party's majority in Congress after some consideration of his proper role — and that doesn't include a lot of red meat rhetoric like some speakers offer at partisan events.

"They asked, and I thought about it a lot and we went back and forth," Snow said. "It's one of those things where I certainly want to help the president. But you have to make sure it's a fine line, and that's why I don't want to get into opponent bashing....The approach I'm going to take is not going to be one of going out and whacking Democrats by name, but straightforward comments about what the president has accomplished," Snow said[...]

Snow said taxpayers will not pay for any of his travel — the bill is being footed by the
Republican National Committee. He said fundraising is "fairly unusual ground" for a sitting press secretary, and he won't hesitate to cancel a political appearance if he's needed at the White House.  "If there's a conflict between that and my day job, then the day job wins," he said.

Ex-WH Comm Director Nicolle Wallace To Consult for CBS

Per TVNewser: former White House Communications Director Nicolle Wallace (left) has been named a CBS News political consultant, starting  immediately. CBS says she will "provide on-air analysis on a variety of political issues, including the upcoming 2006 elections."

Is this something of a CBS mea culpa/olive branch toward the Bushies for Rathergate? Just askin'.

Ari Says Hill Flacks Pitch, WH Flacks Defend

Seth Gitell, former Boston Phoenix reporter and ex-press secretary to Boston Mayor Tom Menino, sat down with ex-WH flack Ari Fleischer last week and wrote about it for the New York Sun.  Gitell, who says he relates to Fleischer because he knows "what it is like to be in the public eye and be bald," offers these pearls of wisdom from two ex-flacks:

• "When you're on the Hill, you're always pitching. You're almost never defending," [Fleischer] says. A successful day would mean getting his boss's name mentioned in a newspaper article in connection with a proposal or action.

• "The office of the press secretary is the job where you come in wearing a piñata, you know you're going to catch it," Mr. Fleischer jokes. That's a little bit like being the press secretary for a mayor's office where one is likely to be queried on matters as picayune as a pit bull attack to more serious things such as crime and homeland security.

Snow Lighting Press Secretary Fashion World Ablaze

The Wall Street Journal's Saturday edition, taking to heart its mission to provide lighter fare, writes that "five months into the job, [WH Press Secretary Tony Snow] is using his wardrobe to communicate that he's not the stereotypical press secretary."

"Press secretaries have tended to come out of either newspaper reporting or political public relations," says presidential historian Stephen Hess, who teaches at George Washington University. "Neither of those occupations would be noted for classy haberdashery."

Mr. Snow mixes things up, with colors that often seem to reflect the administration's mood. Discussing Syria recently, he wore a serious white shirt and maroon tie. When the president gave an upbeat press conference in the Rose Garden after a surprise visit to Iraq, Mr. Snow wore a cheery pink shirt and light blue tie.

Tony Snow "Scared Stiff" on Day One, Now Having a Blast

"The most pleasant surprise about this job has been how much fun it is," WH Press Secretary Tony Snow said this morning at the Breakfast Formerly Known as Sperling.

"I must say, the first day, I was absolutely scared stiff... The biggest challenge is... just trying to make sure that you know enough about the things that are going to be of interest to reporters."  FishBowlDC and The Swamp have more Snow highlights, including:

• "'The press secretary's job is a reporting job,' said Snow, explaining what he sees when he looks out across the press briefing room. 'I don't come out of the political side... What I see is a lot of people trying to get information to write a story.'"

• "'I suppose if there's an operative philosophy for me, it's Flood the Zone,' says Snow, maintaining he tries to flood reporters with information, not spin. 'If we spin you,'' Snow says, 'we die.''"
• "Snow...also has a way of deflecting questions about ongoing negotiations...'The status is ongoing,'' Snow said of talks aimed at reaching a compromise[on torture], adding: 'This is like warm milk on the kitchen counter right now... Whatever news I can give you will turn to yogurt by the time you get back to the office.'"

Tony Snow Is 330% Funnier than Scott McClellan

Anyone who's watched White House press briefings the last few months has surely noticed that everyone - both Tony Snow and the reporters - seem to be having more fun then they had under ex-Press Secretary Scott McClellan.

Washington Examiner's Yays and Nays:

Yeas & Nays reviewed the press briefing and press gaggle transcripts from Snow’s first four months on the job and compared them to those of Snow’s predecessor, Scott McClellan, during his first four months.

Under Snow, there were more than 330 percent more instances of laughter — as defined by the transcriber’s insertion of “(Laughter)” in the transcript — than under McClellan.

Reporters seem to like it:

“It’s not that Tony’s necessarily a laugh riot,” says Ron Hutcheson, who covers the White House for McClatchy newspapers. “But he engages, and it’s a lot more fun to be in the room with somebody who’s engaging reporters.” Hutcheson says that McClellan, on the other hand, “was just cautious, cautious to a fault. He would retreat to the talking points and it was almost as if he didn’t listen to the question.”

But don't expect Snow to headline in the Catskills anytime soon:

“Well, I do like to have fun, but at the same time you don’t want to be doing stand-up as the spokesperson of the president and the leader of the free world,” he says.