Tony Snow, Taking a Moment Out of his Official Duties

White House Press Secretary Tony Snow the other day took a moment out of his official duties.

To do what? To spin some blatant partisan politics on behalf of the RNC. The trouble is, he took this moment not while off work, but while conducting his official duties.

Here is what Press Secretary Tony Snow stated to the Press on Wednesday, August 9th, with respect to the Lieberman Lamont Democratic Primary vote the day before:

As for -- the President has no comment on the winner or loser of the race. That is for the Democratic Party and Democratic voters in the state of Connecticut.

If Tony Snow, White House Press Secretary, does not speak for the White House, who does he speak for? "Fox News"?

Here is what Snow stated only moments earlier. Apparently, what Snow meant was that the President had no comment on the winner or loser of the race, technically:

"This is a defining moment, in some ways, for the Democratic Party. I know a lot of people have tried to make this a referendum on the president. I would flip it. I think instead, it's a defining moment for the Democratic Party, whose national leaders now have made it clear that if you disagree with the extreme left in their party, they're going to come after you."

It seems highly inappropriate for the Pess Secretary to use his official position to spin something in such an openly (and misleadingly) partisan mannter. But more troubling is that few seemed to blink an eye over this. (One exception was over at the Daily Kos, where SusanG Opined:

Sure, presidents have used their prominence to visit a state and campaign on behalf of their party's nominees close to the general election, but it seems absolutely bizarre to hear one weigh in on this micro-level, with such a level of vitriol, on the non-partisan taxpayer dime. If anyone can hunt up another case like this, of Clinton or Bush I or Reagan pulling this kind of stunt, I'd love to be reassured.

As for the content of Snow's statement, there is becoming an increasingly dangerous disconnect in this country between the concept of democracy, and disagreements as to the best course of action or policy under it. Sure, this was blatant partisan spin (the bizarre fact that it came from the White House Press secretary addressing the press in his official capacities, notwithstanding). But it represents an almost consistent theme on the part of the right, and far right, in place of substantive examination today. And it is a theme which constututes a gross mischaracterization of the issue as well. (And which some democrats, knowing how better than anything else to shoot their own party in the foot -- if not up a bit higher (say, halfway), have been erroneously furthering.)

There is nothing extreme about the idea that Iraq has not helped our national security. And a belief that our security interests are best served by slowly exiting from Iraq (right or wrong), is shared not only by a clear majority of Americans, but by many staunch hawks on "terrorism," as well as many republicans (hawkish or not), including a large number of Generals. Again, correct or incorrect (and who realy has such a crystal ball?) is a separate question.

Nor is there anything extreme in the notion that it is time for Change in a Congress that has been regularly receiving approval ratings in the 20's. Nor in the notion that such a prominent "democratic" Senator, who has often been supportive of what many view as an extreme republican administration, and who in the eyes of many democrats has come to represent the worst of the democratic status quo, would be narrowly defeated by democrats in a largely democratic state.

Yet, seeming to equate any belief on how best to handle our foreign policy not just, erroneously, with "weakness" (itself an extremely weak approach to formulating our best policy possible), but, even more bizarrely, with "extremism," the predominant far right has taken the rhetoric to a whole new level.

It's called "projection." Whether done inadvertently (the guess here) or purposefully, it is the best way to inoculate oneself from the very same charges. No matter how ridiculous, make them against your opponents. Thus, mainstream thought becomes "extreme," and heretofore extreme positions become the norm. It just seems highly unusual that a Press Secretary would devote an entire paragraph exclusively to such highty manipulative partisan spin, without even attempting the appearance of tying it into policy or other White House business. And even more unusual that to the ho hum "media," it was just, seemingly, "business as usual."