Tony Snow, 1955-2008

Tony Snow, the former White House press spokesman, has died. He was just 53 years old, and a good man. May he rest peacefully. The New York Times obituary is here.

The news is still breaking across the web, but I'll update with some sample reactions from around the blogosphere.

Sister Toldjah says:

He was the best.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family. RIP, Tony, and God bless you.

But the commenters at Think Progress are already hard at work demonizing Snow and the evil BushCo:

IF ONLY, it would happen to boooosh and F**K YOU DICK. Only more painful and worse.

I can't imagine the left-wing reaction could get worse than what we saw after the death of Jesse Helms, but who knows.

See also, Fox News, "Tony Snow, Former White House Press Secretary and FOX News Anchor, Dies at 53."

Photo Credit: New York Times

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UPDATE: Captain Ed offers the nicest remembrance of Tony Snow:

At the 2004 Republican convention, when I had been blogging for less than a year, I was introduced to Tony almost accidentally. I was shocked when he knew my blog, and maybe even more shocked at how he treated me — as a colleague, an equal in an arena where most of us bloggers felt like Cindarella among ten thousand stepsisters.

He wanted to interview me for his radio show, but he couldn’t work me in. Instead, we chatted off the air for a while, and he impressed me as a man who absolutely loved his work. His joy and his good humor shined through every word, as it did when he worked at the White House, and appeared on television and radio. Viewers and listeners got the authentic Tony Snow; he didn’t build a false persona for public consumption.

When Tony told the world about his illness and took a leave of absence, I sent him an e-mail wishing him well. I was only a little surprised to get a note back from him on his return, thanking me and complimenting me on my work. By that time, I knew what kind of man Tony Snow was...

See also, the wonderful memorial at Gayle's blog.

UPDATE II: The left's campaign of hate is building, for example, in the comments at the Carpetbagger Report. Even those who try to be respectful just get pulled down into the evil of the left's secular demonology.

See also the celebration at Daily Kos, "Tony Snow MORE IMPORTANT than Dead Soldiers":

When a bad guy dies, we should rejoice, not sing his praises of wish him anything by scorn.

UPDATE III: Patterico lays down the line on disrespectful comments at his blog:

Anyone who says anything bad about him in this thread is banned and the comment will be deleted. Anyone who says anything bad about him today anywhere on this blog will be banned and the comment will be deleted. It’s not the time or place.

That's classy.

UPDATE IV: See also Goat's Barnyard, "The Difference in the Leftosphere and the Rightosphere," and Protein Wisdom, "How Some in the Reality-Based Community of Compassion and Caring Honor the Death of Tony Snow."