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Exclusive with Tony Snow
Guests: White House Press Secretary Tony Snow

The Factor was joined by White House spokesman Tony Snow, who spoke on a variety of topics, beginning with the media's revelation of classified information. "Shortly after 9-11," Snow explained, "The New York Times said the administration has to go aggressively after terrorism. So then the administration does it and the response is, 'well, we don't know if we can trust the administration.' And you're absolutely right, Bill - we now have this vigorous debate in the United States about what the public's right to know is, and when it comes into conflict with efforts to protect the American people." The Factor urged the administration to find and punish government officials who leaked the information. "Doesn't this disturb the President that you have people in the CIA and the NSA calling the New York Times? If you've got treason in your ranks and you're the Commander in Chief, it's your job to root it out."

Snow also claimed gradual progress is being made in Iraq. "Right now Iraq weighs on people's minds, but in recent weeks people have been glimmers of hope. You've already seen Iraqis taking full control of security in one province, and they've said they're ready to take over three or four other provinces. Those are the kinds of moves to look forward to." Moving back to the home front, Snow sounded an equally optimistic note on border security. "A number of good stories have been taking place - illegal border crossings have been going down since the year 2000. And if you look at the crime rate and unemployment rate for illegals, they're lower than for the population at large." However, The Factor questioned whether President Bush is truly committed to border security. "6-thousand National Guard are not enough. Why not 50-thousand? There are people who believe the reason the President hasn't been more aggressive on the border is because he doesn't want to lose Hispanic votes."

Finally, Tony Snow commented on his grueling new job and his fight against cancer, now in remission. "My oncologist had a great line - he said the job won't make the cancer worse, but it might give me heartburn. But this is a family-friendly White House and this is more fun than I ever had in any job. It's stimulating, you're dealing with important issues, and I'm working for a President that I really like and admire." The Factor analyzed Snow's unusual relationship with the White House press corps. "A lot of them fear you because they know you're quicker than most of them, and they don't want you to embarrass them on national television. That's a huge advantage."