A Good and Impressive Man

Tony Snow, who died Saturday morning at the age of 53, was that rare individual in Washington, a big shot who didn’t act like a big shot. He succeeded brilliantly in both journalism and politics, yet barely changed at all in the nearly quarter century I knew him. The reason, I suspect, was that Tony’s life was grounded firmly in his family and in his Christian faith. His humility never wavered.

I first met Tony at the Republican convention in Dallas in 1984 when he was an editorial writer for the Detroit News. He struck me as smart, quite conservative, and amiable–but not someone soon to reach the highest levels of journalism and politics. Obviously I underestimated him.