When Words Hurt Me
I read with interest the wire stories this afternoon regarding Tony Snow’s comments on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show that “he won’t be staying” until the end of President Bush’s term in 2009. As many of you know, in full disclosure, I worked with Tony and consider him one the finest people – and friends – that I have ever known. And while most people in Washington would agree across partisan lines that Tony has done a remarkable job as press secretary and perhaps even revolutionized the job for future presidents, I would also suggest that he has grown into the country’s most significant cancer surviving inspirations since Lance Armstrong.
In an interview with CSPAN’s Brian Lamb this week, Tony talked about his post-White House ambitions – and continuing to connect with people to make positive differences in their lives was high on the list. So good on Snowman for taking the blessings of success and learning the lesson of giving more back than given.
But as I was cruising blogs this afternoon (since that’s part of my job to know these things), I came across some absolutely disgusting and inappropriate comments about Tony that I cannot sit quiet without registering my outrage.
It was a left-leaning website called Think Progress and of several bitter comments, one stood out as the epitome of cynicism and hatred and everything that’s wrong with our current state of political discourse in America.
The comment was this:
“Tony deserves every cancerous cells he’s got.”
No one deserves to suffer the horrors of a battle with cancer. That is an inexcusable, horrendous statement. When I think of Tony’s wife and his great kids, I am sickened that someone can bring him or herself to utter such hurtful, hateful words.
It wasn’t my intention to bring everyone down on a mid-August summer Friday afternoon. But seriously, this kind of vitriol should be rejected and condemned on either side of the aisle whenever it occurs. Think Progress should pull the comments immediately.
And when I say a prayer for Tony tonight for his continued and swift recovery, I think I’ll say one too for the guy for whose Bush hatred has apparently no bounds.
