US President George W. Bush announced on Friday the departure of his main spokesman Tony Snow, and named assistant Dana Perino to the job. Snow, 52, a former radio journalist who joined the White House in May 2006 only to see his colon cancer return, will officially step down on September 14.
"I sadly accept his desire to leave the White House, Bush said to White House journalists. "He has been a joy to watch him spar with you. He is smart and capable and witty. He is capable and able to talk about issues in a way that the American people can understand."
"I don't know what he is going to do, I am not sure he does yet either. But whatever, it will be two things, he will battle cancer and win and secondly, he will be a solid contributor to society," Bush said.
Snow indicated several weeks ago that he would not serve out the rest of Bush's term, which will end in January 2009. He joined the White House believing that his cancer was in remission, only to have to resume chemotherapy treatment when it was discovered to have metastasised. Perino, 35, is a veteran Washington press spokeswoman and will be the fourth person to lead the White House spokesman's office under Bush.