Ken Bazinet of the NY Daily News DC bureau goes farthest out on the limb today on the speculative reporting surrounding Scott McClellan’s replacement at the White House.
Bazinet reports, “Tony Snow, a conservative commentator at Fox News, is emerging as the front-runner to replace McClellan, a source confirmed. Former deputy press secretary Trent Duffy is also a dark horse, as is former Iraq coalition government spokesman Dan Senor.”
After some quick checking around this morning, Bazinet appears to be correct. Tony Snow is indeed emerging as not just the leading candidate, but perhaps the only candidate. Trent Duffy, despite being held in high regard by the WH, is the “right guy at the wrong time,” said one GOP operative familiar with the press secretary deliberations.
“What’s needed,” he said this morning, “is a person of stature outside of the original ‘W’ campaign circle but who is trusted by the larger Bush family circle at large. Bang — that’s Tony Snow.”
Tony, in fact, worked in the David Demarest-led communications shop in the first Bush Administration, and had an outstanding reputation with Bush insiders even prior to moving on to Fox News.
Dan Senor, who’s set to make a huge pile of dough in the private sector, is said not to be trusted by “the people that matter” because of his editing involvement in Paul Bremer’s new book about the post-invasion Iraqi occupation. Big deal — he’s his own guy. Senor’s stock in town is huge right now — the WH is the last place he would or should want to work.
Best line on background in the WH “shake-up” stories today is also in the Bazinet Daily News story.
“A lot of people are bummed out today,” said a White House aide.
And despite the fact there should be a piece already posted on the Menendez-Kean NJ Senate race, it’s been tough to find anyone, even Republicans, to say good things about Kean Jr. More on this race shortly…