Tony Snow

The White House press corps is a temperamental group, and by the spring of 2006 its attitude toward George W. Bush and his past two press secretaries was, at best, hostile: the first, Ari Fleischer, had proved capable but combative; the second, Scott McClellan, had inadvertently misled the press about the White House's role in the leak of a CIA officer's identity.

It took a particular kind of character to walk into that environment and attempt to turn it around. It's hard to imagine anyone could have done it better than Tony Snow, who died July 12 at age 53 after a second battle with colon cancer.

Snow was unabashed in his defense of the Administration but respectful, even helpful, to reporters on the beat. His experience as a Fox News broadcaster and radio personality was obvious; his quick wit and verbal dexterity made him fun to spar with, while his grasp of complicated policy details made him remarkably effective. The clincher for a skeptical press corps was his disarming honesty. When he didn't have an answer, he said the rarest words in Washington: "I don't know."

In 2007, Snow returned to the podium after five weeks of cancer treatment. "Not everybody will survive cancer," he said. "But on the other hand, you have got to realize you've got the gift of life, so make the most of it. That is my view, and I'm going to make the most of my time with you."