Conservative talk show host Tony Snow has been chosen as President George W Bush's new spokesman, a senior administration official said on Wednesday.
Updated at 7.25 pm
WASHINGTON: Conservative talk show host Tony Snow has been chosen as President George W Bush's new spokesman, a senior administration official said on Wednesday.
Snow's employer, Fox News, reported that the political analyst replaces spokesman Scott McClellan.
The White House issued a statement saying it would announce its choice for press secretary early on Wednesday, without identifying Snow by name.
Snow, who was a speechwriter for President George Bush, the president's father, anchored the Fox News Sunday television program and hosts a radio program for the network, where he has worked for the past decade.
The longtime conservative pundit, who survived a battle with colon cancer last year, told listeners on his radio show recently that it was "an honor to be considered" for the post, without tipping his hand as to which way he was leaning.
"He's not afraid to express his own opinions," Bush told journalists at the White House. "I'm proud to welcome Tony as part of our team."
The president noted that Snow -- known for his sometimes acerbic commentary and his political positions to the right of many other journalists working in television -- has at times found himself at odds with the president, whom he has considered to be not sufficiently conservative on some issues.
"For those of you who have read his columns and listened to his radio show, you know he has sometimes disagreed with me," Bush said.
"I asked him about those comments, and he said, 'You should have seen what I said about the other guy."
"I like his perspective," the president told reporters. "I like the perspective he brings to this job, and I think you're going to like it, too."
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