Tony Snow really is a tool.

A tool, in every sense of the word. I mean, I am very sorry that Tony has had a recurrence of colon cancer. I hope he enjoys a full recovery. However, I feel that doesn’t prevent me, or anyone, from criticizing his performance in front of the media while trying to defend the Bush administration by obfuscation, insults and outright lies. T-Rex at FireDogLake has a video as well as some choice tidbits from the Snow press conference where the press corps was all over the commutation of Scooter Libby’s prison sentence.

I didn’t think that the public face of the Bushies would be allowed to be so insulting. They seem to just have given up trying to pretend that everyone else is in the wrong and they are blameless in whatever issue comes up. Here’s a good exchange that illustrates that point.

Snow was asked by a reporter if anyone in the administration would ever apologize for what prompted the entire investigation — public disclosure that Valerie Plame, the wife of sharp anti-war critic Joseph Wilson, was an undercover CIA officer.

“Yeah, it’s improper to be leaking those names,” Snow said. Pressed on whether someone in the administration owed the American public an apology, Snow said, “I’ll apologize. Done.”

As annoying as that response is, that quote doesn’t give the actual flavor of Snow’s words. His words were just dripping with contempt. He also totally blew off one reporter’s rather pointed, rather elaborate question and just said “yeah”, and pointed at another reporter for the next question. He seemed really, really pissed off and disdainful of the whole process, including all the reporters who dared question some of the motives of the President’s commutation of Libby’s prison term. He acted like some juvenile delinquent being questioned by his parents about where he was last night and how come the fender on the family car is all smashed in. He was surly and rude, and obviously thought that reporters should not be allowed to ask the questions they were. I could see "How dare you question me or the President!" written all over his face.

These guys aren’t even trying to pretend they are answerable to the American public anymore.