David V. Matthews – 9/6/07

This page was last updated on September 6, 2007.

Snow’s money crunch; David V. Matthews; Beaver County Times; September 6, 2007.

For background, in previous letters Mr. Matthews told us there’s no liberal media bias, President Bush committed treason, he’s positive creation played no role in our evolution, President Bush plans to nuke Iran this year, “Centrism is Bushism,” the Bush administration may be “conducting warrantless surveillance upon” us, and the Bush administration is “warlike and imperialist.”

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“Saturday’s article ‘Ailing White House Press Secretary Tony Snow quits’ contains the following passage:

“‘Snow, 52, battling cancer, said he was stepping down because he needed to earn more than his $168,000 White House salary. ... ‘I ran out of money,’ said Snow, the father of three.’

“The article does not explain why he ran out of money. Did he run out of money due to medical expenses?

“If so, would a national health-care program have helped him keep his job? After all, illness can wipe out almost any American financially, Republicans included.”

[RWC] I know no details about Mr. Snow’s health or finances. While it’s possible finances were the reason Mr. Snow resigned, I believe (but I hope I’m wrong) the real reason is his health. After all, Mr. Snow knew what his compensation would be and how much it cost to maintain his family before he took the job. I doubt Mr. Snow would have taken the job if he thought it would jeopardize the financial security of his family.

This is Mr. Snow’s second battle with cancer. Fighting cancer takes a lot out of you and being the President’s spokesman is a high-pressure, 24/7 job. Further, I suspect the combination of being press secretary and the effects of the cancer fight left him little quality time with his family. I hope I’m wrong, but I wouldn’t be surprised to learn Mr. Snow resigned because he wants to spend more time with his family before his health gets worse.