The Tao Of Snow

According to administration officials, former admin. officials and Republicans who know Snow and Pres. Bush, their mutual respect stems from several sources.

One is -- both are evangelicals. That link binds together their worldview and most especially, their view of their place in the larger scheme of things.

Another is -- Snow sees Bush as a political gambler, in a good way. He wrote, during the Miers nomination mess, that Bush "possesses a gambler's daring and patience. He loves to linger over a controversy until his adversaries fidget and sweat. His pleas to "trust me" have the effect of dragging out the drama -- and imparting the sense that when the Senate finally casts its votes, the guy from Midland again will enjoy the last laugh."

Snow has privately criticized how the White House communicates with just about every audience. Sources said he was granted latitude to add or subtract staff. But Bush advisers are also roundly and strenuously denying that Snow's ascendance implies some sort of declension or de facto demotion for senior presidential counselor Dan Bartlett.

Still, Snow, said one Republican close to the White House, "is an adult."

That's one of the several talking point concepts that "senior administration officials" and "Republicans close to the White House" will try to propagate today. Another is that Bush picked him NOT based on his loyalty to the Bush-Texas-axis but because Snow merited the job. A third is that Snow will bring the touch of the common man to the job.

An open question among presidential allies is whether the left-leaning mainstream media will embrace Snow as their savior.
Certainly, the Republican base will love Snow's repartee with, say, Jessica Yellin and David Gregory.

But if the press room exchanges become more partisan and more acrimonious, which is a distinct possibility with a pundit ruling the roost, does that relegitimize the White House press corps, as the White House wants to do? Or does it serve to (ingeniously?) highlight the differences between the media establishment and the president? [MARC AMBINDER]