Tony Snow: The White House and Beyond

White House press secretary Tony Snow will step down from his podium this Friday. Before leaving, he sat down with CBN News to talk about the press, the President, and his fight with cancer. "I love you, and I wish you all the best," the President told Snow the day he announced his resignation. President Bush calls him the "Snowman." It's just one of the White House perks Snow will miss, along with having a desk 30 feet from the leader of the free world. "I have this daily ritual where I walk up to the Northwest gate, go back and look at the north portico because I love it," Snow said. "I also can remember vividly walking up and down that street in the years after saying, you know, I used to work in there." Snow worked as speechwriter to the first President Bush after his job as a columnist and before becoming a Fox News host. The outgoing White House press secretary has been known to moonlight playing the jazz flute in his own rock band. But in the White House briefing room, he's the star of the 'Tony Snow Show.' So what's his secret to sparring with a hostile press corps? "When it comes to reporters, there are times when you know someone is really pursuing -- in a very determined way -- an important story, and they need to get facts," Snow said. "There are other times when somebody's just trying to push you around - trying to yank your chain - and you yank it back." As personal advisor and defender of presidential policies, Snow says there's a side to Bush most people never see. "The private reality is probably bigger and deeper than in any public figure in America in a very long time," Snow said of the President. "The public doesn't see the way in which he will talk about the personal interactions with Vladimir Putin versus other heads of state, how that gets in the way of things, or how that influences things. He'll talk about the human element." "He'll talk about the geographic element. He'll talk about the historic element. He'll talk about the political element," Snow said. "He'll put them together, and he'll think two or three moves ahead like a chess master. In terms of, 'If we do this, this is how it affects all these players.' It's a wonderful thing." It's a side of the nation's commander-in-chief people are surprised to discover, according to Snow. "He's a lot smarter than the public thinks he is. And it's not just because I'm an adoring employee," Snow said. "He's smarter than we are. There is a combination of street smarts, and also very aggressive book learning. You know, he and Rove got into these book reading contests." Today, Snow himself is in a contest - with cancer. It is a battle that began in 2005 when his colon was removed. This year the cancer came back. Snow recalled, "The second time, my reaction was, 'Aww, I sort of thought that might be happening.'" The 52-year-old husband and father of three has completed a rigorous chemotherapy regimen while continuing his White House duties. "There are some days when you kind of… crawl your way through the day," he said. "I mean, I thought my first one was tough. But this one had an agent I used to liken to Drano. It used to turn me green the day I'd do chemo. It would kind of wipe you out. It's the one that took away most of my hair." Snow says his hair is coming back. He's gaining weight, his spirits are up, and the President's message man is calling his cancer an "unexpected blessing." "You gotta make a choice whether you're going to be alive, or whether you're going to die," Snow said. "The way in which you approach cancer is everything. There are a lot of people who immediately give up, who immediately embrace gloom, and they kill themselves… It's a horrible sad thing." Snow said there haven't been many "dark nights of the soul," for which he credits his faith. "Faith ought to instruct you that when you die, you graduate," he said. "This is kindergarten; you get to go to big school. I mean… I believe in heaven. So that provides a certain amount of solace. It's made me closer to God. But I've never wasted time with the 'why me' stuff. " Snow's post-White House life will include cancer advocacy, including writing a book on his battle with the disease. He's hoping to share his experience with others who face potentially fatal illnesses. "For the most part, you ought to find a source of joy, even when things seem bad," he said. "Especially when you think about death. Once in awhile you'll feel a little down and it's like, 'Well, is it going to get me?' And the answer is probably, at some point. But, you know, I'm hoping that some point is 20 to 25 years down the road."