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Mr. Russert has been joined by his co-anchor.&#160 Tony Snow, former White House press secretary and veteran Fox News anchor, lost his battle with cancer today.&#160 He had just turned 53.

Tony was not always one to march in lockstep with the Bush administration:

As a commentator, he had not always been on the president’s side. He once called Bush “something of an embarrassment” in conservative circles and criticized what he called Bush’s “lackluster” domestic policy.

However…

At the White House, Snow brought partisan zeal and the skills of a seasoned performer to the task of explaining and defending the president’s policies. During daily briefings he challenged reporters, scolded them and questioned their motives as if he were starring in a TV show broadcast live from the West Wing.

And he got the better of them far more often than not, somethat that will likely forever stick in their collective craw:

Critics suggested Snow was turning the traditionally informational daily briefing into a personality-driven media event short on facts and long on confrontation.

The thing with Tony, though, is that whatever he did – from fighting Lame Stream Midiots&#153 to fighting cancer – he always did so with a smile on his face and a heart full of cheer.

“He served people, and we can learn from that. He was kind, and we can learn from that. He was just a good person,” the senior Bush told FOX News.

[…]

“He was a great musician,” Ailes said. “And he loved movies.”

More than anything, said Snow’s colleagues, he was a joy to work with.

“He was a lot of fun,” his former FOX News producer Griff Jenkins said. “This is a loss of a family member.”

FOX News Chief Washington Correspondent Jim Angle called Snow a “gentleman.”

More than anything, we’ve lost a helluva good man, and a good friend.&#160 This one hurts.

We’re going to miss you greatly, Tony.&#160 Our prayers go out to your wife and children.

Guys, over these last couple of decades I’ve been blessed to enjoy the friendship of Denizen and fellow blogger Alan K. Henderson (yeah, Alan, it really has been about that long), whose fine work of bloggery goodness you can find right here.&#160 Alan has such a propensity for logic & in-depth analysis on the issues of the day that I sometimes have to look just to make sure he doesn’t have pointed ears.&#160 The man is actually more Vulcan than some Vulcans I know…

KORRIOTH:&#160 Hey!!!

LSIK&T:&#160 Shut up, Bumpy.&#160 No one’d know you&#160 were half-Vulcan if you had anything up there resembling hair…

KORRIOTH:&#160 HEY!!!!!!

ALL (except Korrioth):&#160

So anyway, when Alan even halfway admits to overlooking something, one has to stand up and take notice…

When composing Wednesday’s post I only half-glanced at the linked article that documented the most recent Congressional approval rating. I missed this part of the article:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said President Bush has been a drag on public perception of Congress.

Modesty prevents me from mentioning who (*coughcoughcough*)…uh…pointed it out to him.&#160