Snow draws ire at first White House briefing

Cincinnati native Tony Snow thought he’d kick off his new gig as White House press secretary with a laid-back, “collegial” exchange with the demanding White House press corps, which had gotten into on-air squabbles with his predecessor, Scott McClellan.

So for Snow’s first on-the-record briefing, the former FOX News commentator invited reporters to his personal office Friday, instead of addressing them from the podium in the regular White House briefing room.

The result? About 80 reporters crammed into his small West Wing office, some complaining that they couldn’t hear him and others demanding to know if this was to be the format for all future briefings.

“I thought it was a little more informal. I didn’t realize it’d be so highly attended,” a surprised Snow told the crowd, apologizing also for starting the meeting at 9:20 a.m. when it had originally been scheduled for 9 a.m., then moved to 9:30 a.m.

“Do not do that again,” one reporter grumbled.

“This isn’t good,” another said.

“I had this wonderful idea that this would be nice and collegial and relaxed, but it obviously, at this point, is just a mess,” Snow said, looking flustered.

Snow said he’d hold another briefing with reporters Monday - in the regular briefing room, which is much larger and has auditorium-style seating. His first on-camera briefing is set for Tuesday.

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Want more details about Snow's first briefing?

Read an account from The Washington Post's Dana Milbank here. Check out the story from Jennifer Loven of The Associated Press here. Finally, read a pretty thorough report by the Chicago Tribune's blog here.