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Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Snow job

By Ken Herman | Tuesday, May 30, 2006, 10:46 AM

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If you believe President Bush, the selection of Henry Paulson as the nation’s new treasury secretary was a hurry-up effort triggered by the surprising news (despite months of very public speculation) that John Snow was leaving the post.

Here’s what Bush told the nation last Thursday night during a White House news conference:

“No, he has not talked to me about resignation. I think he’s doing a fine job.”

So, for those of you scoring at home, as of about 8 p.m. last Thursday, Bush seemed to say he had no idea he would be in the market for a new treasury secretary.

Friday rolls around and Bush is wheels up for Camp David, with former Commerce Secretary Donald Evans and others in tow. Saturday morning, it’s off to West Point for a commencement speech.

Fast forward to this morning in the Rose Garden, when Bush announced his selection of Paulson. So this means, if what the president told us last Thursday was accurate, he got word of Snow’s resignation sometime since then and was able to come up with a replacement. Maybe he knew a guy who knew a guy…

But wait. White House Press Secretary Tony Snow now tells us that Bush – of course – knew John Snow was leaving. In fact, by last Thursday night the job had been offered to Paulson.

Asked about Bush’s comment, Snow said, “That does not mean that there were not other discussions. It was artfully worded.”

And it had to be so worded out of fear of how a change in treasury secretaries might impact markets, Snow said.

“The one thing you not want to do in a situation like this is to start speculating about changes before the changes are ready to be made,” he said, acknowledging Bush talked to Paulson on May 20, and Paulson accepted the job a day later.

In thanking Bush for the honor of being the nation’s 73rd treasury secretary, Snow today also provided evidence that Bush had engaged in artful wording last week when he made it look like nothing was up at treasury.

“But as you know, I’ve looked forward for some time to returning to private life,” Snow told Bush.

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White House nights

By Ken Herman | Tuesday, May 30, 2006, 10:16 AM

Some things we learned today about evenings at the White House:

King Abdullah of Jordan dropped by last night for what Bush spokeswoman Dana Perino says was a “one-on-one” dinner with the president. The event was not on the schedule published by the White House.

Tonight, it’s movie night in the building for a screening of “United 93,” the film about the plane that went down in Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001.

Perino says Bush will watch with survivors of some who died on board the plane. The president, Perino recalls, has always considered the victims to be heroes.

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Treasury shuffle

By Ken Herman | Tuesday, May 30, 2006, 10:10 AM

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The official announcement came on a steamy morning in the Rose Garden. After months of speculation, John Snow is out as treasury secretary, to be replaced by Wall Street bigwig Henry Paulson, chairman of Goldman Sachs.

President Bush, who as recently as last week said Snow was doing a fine job and had made no mention to him of resignation, announced the change this morning.

The shuffle ends one name-game confusion in the administration, leaving new Press Secretary Tony Snow as the only Snow in the White House. But it also sets up another potential confusion. Paulson, if confirmed, will run Treasury. David Paulison is the new guy at FEMA.

Reviewing now: Tony Snow is in as press secretary. John Snow is out at Treasury. Henry Paulson is in at Treasury. David Paulison is in at FEMA.

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