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By ASSOCIATED PRESSThe new White House press secretary doesn't have all the answers but handles his first briefing with humor.
During 23 sometimes-chaotic minutes Friday with the White House press corps in his West Wing office, Snow offered a half-dozen apologies for a less-than-smooth debut, pleaded ignorance on seven questions and ruled out all talk of international or currency issues.
"I do not wish to set off global tempests," he said, "because I frankly just don't know enough on those."
Snow got in a little trouble when pressed on his statement that Bush "stands behind" Housing Secretary Alphonso Jackson, who apologized for fabricating a story about punishing a potential HUD contractor who had criticized the president.
"At this point the president is supporting Alphonso Jackson," Snow said.
"At this point?" a reporter asked.
"Look again, you're getting me ahead of my brief," Snow responded.
After being at times critical of Bush as a Fox News commentator and radio host, Snow was careful not to step out of bounds in the higher-stakes world of speaking on the president's behalf.
For instance, asked about the government's abrupt end this week to an inquiry into the National Security Agency's warrantless eavesdropping program, Snow deferred to deputy press secretary Dana Perino. When reporters couldn't hear the soft-spoken Perino, Snow read a few talking points and ended the line of questioning. "As the new kid on the block, I'm not fully briefed," he said.
Snow, 50, has been on the job since Monday, sharing chief spokesman responsibilities for the first part of the week with former press secretary Scott McClellan, whose last day was Wednesday. Snow is waiting until Tuesday to hold his first televised briefing, taking advantage of a week when Bush was on the road most days to practice with White House communication gurus and educate himself on a dizzying array of policy positions.
He scheduled his first Q&A for Friday, an off-camera morning session called the "gaggle" that is usually a warm-up for the formal news briefing.
He apparently seriously misjudged his own curiosity factor.
In hopes of making the gaggle more intimate, Snow announced he was moving it from the theaterlike White House briefing room to his office. But the reporters quickly filled the room to bursting.
At least a dozen reporters, including many White House regulars, were left stranded in the hallway, barely able to hear or ask questions. Making matters worse, the timing had been confused.
A telegenic man who has built a reputation as a bright, unflappable broadcast presence, Snow remained relaxed, even self-deprecating, despite considerable grumbling. Asked what he wanted to do differently with the press operation, Snow joked: "Well, apparently, the gaggle."
"I had this wonderful idea that this would be nice and collegial and relaxed," he said with a smile.
Snow promised to move back to the more orderly venue of the briefing room, and look into the requests for information that he hadn't been able to supply.
And, despite the problems, he showed he's a quick study on White House public relations strategy.
Snow smoothly defended Bush's nominee for CIA director, Gen. Michael Hayden, and new, low approval ratings, parried with reporters about the president's prime time immigration speech on Monday and stuck steadfastly to the administration policy of refusing to discuss reports of an NSA program to track millions of telephone calls.