Snow to leave White House

Finances lead to early departure

from the Cincinnati Enquirer

WASHINGTON - White House press secretary Tony Snow said Friday he'll leave sometime before the end of the Bush presidency because of financial pressures.

The 1973 Princeton High School graduate declined to say when he would depart, but that, "I'm going to stay as long as I can."

Snow, 52, father of three children, earns $168,000 as an assistant to the president, but made considerably more as a conservative pundit and syndicated talk-show host on Fox News Radio. He was named press secretary on April 26, 2006.

The White House has been shaken by the resignations of some of President Bush's closest aides. Political strategist Karl Rove announced Monday that he would leave at the end of the month.

Longtime Bush adviser Dan Bartlett and chief of staff Andrew Card left earlier.

Bush's term ends on Jan. 20, 2009.

"I will not be able to make it to the end of this administration, just financially," Snow said.

"This job has been such a pleasant surprise in how much I like it. I love it."

Snow has been undergoing chemotherapy after doctors discovered a recurrence of colon cancer in March. On Monday he will have a CAT scan to evaluate his progress.